AIIMS surgeons claim to remove world's largest kidney tumour

In what is being claimed to be the first such case in the world, Indian surgeons have removed a kidney tumour weighing 5.018 kg from a patient suffering from kidney cancer along with dissection of the lungs.

Surgeons at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi claim to have removed the biggest kidney tumour — weighing 5.018 kg — from a 66-year-old patient.

The sexagenarian K L Das approached the institute with discomfort and heaviness on the right side of his abdomen earlier this year. “We went to Sir Ganga Ram hospital in March after my father felt heaviness in the stomach. After tests, the doctors informed us of a huge mass in his stomach and suggested surgery. This was our second visit to Ganga Ram hospital, the first time being in January for a check-up. From there we then came to AIIMS for further treatment,” said Gunjan Das, KL Das’s son.

Das, a retired government servant who has been residing in Paschim Vihar for the past 25 years, underwent surgery on May 14. A 25-cm long incision was made from his chest to abdomen to remove the tumour.

“He was diagnosed with a tumour in the right kidney. The tumour had replaced his kidney and had grown 35 times the size of a normal kidney. It was 20 cm long, 15 cm wide and weighed 5.018 kg and reached up to his chest,” Dr MD Ray, surgical oncologist at AIIMS, said.

Kidney tumours constitute 1.4 per cent of all cancer diagnosed in India and 2 per cent globally. Its symptoms generally include blood in urine, swelling and pain.

“Cancer in kidneys could be hereditary or caused by smoking, obesity and radiation therapies. The first follow-up of the patient would be within the first week of discharge. He’ll have to come for follow-ups every three months for two years, followed by every six months for the successive two years. The patient should take the painkillers cautiously and must not take any medicine without consulting a doctor,” Ray added.