Jaipur: Surgeons at SMS Medical College and Hospital have removed a 28.6kg retroperitoneal sarcoma from a 59-year-old woman in a rare and complex three-hour operation.There was a high risk of losing any vital organ as the tumour was located in the retroperitoneal space, an area deep within the abdomen where such sarcomas are rare and often difficult to detect until they grow very large.Doctors said the tumour was located in the space behind the abdominal cavity and was attached to multiple organs, making the surgery highly challenging.Jeevan Kankaria, senior professor of surgery at SMS Hospital, said the ureter, which carries urine from the kidney to the urinary bladder, was found positioned in front of the tumour and had to be carefully separated during the procedure.The mass was also adherent to the intestines and urinary bladder and was located close to the liver and pancreas. The surgical team dissected and removed the tumour while preserving surrounding organs and vital structures.“Retroperitoneal tumours are difficult to operate on because they develop near major organs and blood vessels. In this case, the tumour’s unusually large size required extreme caution during surgery,” said Devendra Saini, associate professor of surgery at SMS Hospital.Doctors said retroperitoneal sarcomas are rare, while giant retroperitoneal sarcomas weighing more than 20 kg are exceptionally rare. Around 20 such cases have been reported worldwide in available medical literature.After the operation, the patient was shifted to the ICU for monitoring. Doctors said her vital signs remained stable and her postoperative recovery was satisfactory. She was later moved to the ward for further care and observation.The surgery was performed free of cost under the Rajasthan Govt Health Scheme.
