Thirty-Five Pound Tumor in Ovaries Removed From Peruvian Woman

Peruvian doctors have removed a "giant" 16-kilogram (35.3-pound) tumor from the abdomen of a woman in Lima, the capital of Peru.

Irianita Rojas, 22, had lived with the ovarian tumor since she was 13 years old. The tumor grew so large that she looked as if she were pregnant.

Rojas lives in Tamshiyacu, a remote town in the Peruvian jungle in the northernmost province of Loreto in the Amazon region bordering Brazil. Rojas' growing tumor caused her constant pain that prevented a normal life. She had dropped out of school and had difficulty walking and even breathing.

‘Ovarian cancer accounts for about 3% of cancers among women, but it causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system.’

"I never thought I would be operated on," Rojas said, according to a statement published by the Health Ministry. "I'm happy now because I'm recovering and I will be able to fulfill my dream of studying accounting."

After a 3-hour surgery at the Archbishop Loayza National Hospital, the tumor was successfully removed. Dr. Luis Garcia Bernal, the hospital director, said the patient will stay there for observation.

"Irianita is recovering and can be released, but she will stay in Lima for a few more days to so that we can practice additional exams to define the treatment she should follow when she returns to (the province of) Loreto," said Garcia Bernal.

Peru's health minister. Velasquez, Anibal Velasquez Valdivia, during his travel to monitor the progress of the construction of a health center in Tamshiyacu met Rojas and gave orders for treatment at Archbishop Loayza National Hospital.

After medical examinations, the surgery was done. Dr. Walter Curran, executive director at the Emory Winship Cancer Institute in Atlanta, called the size of Rojas' tumor extraordinarily rare. There are many different types of ovarian tumors, he said, and a number of tumors can grow that large.



Source: Medindia