Gurgaon: A 43-year-old man from Iraq, forced to sleep sitting upright for two years because of a giant tumour in his neck, can now breathe, swallow and sleep normally after doctors at Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI) in Gurgaon removed the rare 2kg growth in a complex surgery.Patient Raed Majid Mohammed had lived with a progressively enlarging swelling on the right side of his neck for nearly 15 years. The tumour eventually grew to 20cm by 20cm, compressing his airway and food pipe to the point where lying flat triggered a choking sensation.Doctors diagnosed it as a vagal schwannoma, a rare benign nerve sheath tumour arising from the vagus nerve. Such tumours account for only 2-5% of all head and neck schwannomas, making one of this size exceptionally uncommon.
CJP Jantar Mantar Protest Updates
Mohammed had undergone an attempted surgery in Iraq, but doctors there abandoned the procedure after finding the tumour closely entwined with major blood vessels and nerves. He then travelled to India for treatment.Scans at FMRI showed the tumour occupied the entire right side of his neck and extended towards the skull base, wrapping around the carotid artery, jugular vein and multiple cranial nerves — complicating any surgical approach.A multidisciplinary team led by Dr Biswajyoti Hazarika, principal director, surgical oncology, and Dr Rudra Sharma, associate consultant, surgical oncology, planned the operation with vascular surgeons, anaesthesiologists, critical care specialists and rehabilitation experts.The first challenge arose before surgery even began. The tumour had severely compressed Mohammed’s airway. The anaesthesia team used an awake fibre-optic intubation technique to secure it safely.During the operation, surgeons separated the tumour from surrounding nerves and blood vessels. Since part of the carotid artery was involved, they removed the affected segment and reconstructed the artery using a vein harvested from the patient’s leg to restore blood flow to the brain.“The sheer size of the tumour, its extension towards the skull base and its intimate involvement with critical blood vessels and nerves made the surgery exceptionally challenging,” Dr Hazarika said. “Our objective was not only to remove the tumour completely but also to preserve the patient’s neurological function and quality of life.”Mohammed was monitored in the ICU after surgery. He slept lying down on the first night — for the first time in two years — while normal swallowing returned by the third postoperative day. He was later discharged in stable condition.
