Surgery helps woman avoid amputation, survives rare tumour

Surgery helps woman avoid amputation, survives rare tumour

When 35-year-old Manisha Goyal (name changed) was told she would have to get her hand amputated, she lost all hope. She had a very rare tumour weighing 3kg attached to lungs and hand. But fortunately for her, she was operated on successfully at Fortis Hospital on Friday without having to lose her hand. Three years ago, the inflammation and pain Goyal suffered from on her left shoulder spread to her neck and underarm. After carrying out the required test, doctors at Fortis identified that she had desmoid fibromatosis, a rare tumour, and recommended amputation. According to doctors, a desmoid tumour—which is 0.03% of all tumours—usually develops in the stomach due to an injury. However, there was no such prior reason in Goyal’s case and the tumour had developed in her chest above her lungs. She was successfully operated at Fortis hospital without hand amputation. On consultation, several doctors had told her that amputating her arm was the only solution to rid her of her pain. For, not only was her tumour rare, but also difficult to operate on as it was attached to her lungs, including important blood vessels that supplied blood to her right arm, and extended to her wind pipe as well. However, Dr Anil Heroor, consulting oncology surgeon at Fortis Hospital in Mulun, said they decided to give surgery a chance. “We were very careful while segregating the nerves to ensure that her arm was still functional after the surgery. Luckily, we didn’t have to reconstruct any of the blood vessels. The surgery was successful without any hassle,” Dr Heroor said. Although the team had been able to save her nerves, Goyal still feels some weakness in her fingers, which Dr Heroor assured would be alright post-physiotherapy sessions. For now, Goyal must undergo radiotherapy sessions to reduce the risk of the tumour recurring.