Kanti hospital removes 7-kg tumour from child’s stomach

Kathmandu, July 5

Kanti Children’s Hospital has successfully treated retroperitoneal teratoma, a rare germ cell tumour, in a 10-year old child from Pyuthan.

Doctors at the hospital successfully removed a 7-kg tumour from the stomach of Shila Nepali through surgery, yesterday.

According to Dr RP Chaudhary, a senior paediatric surgeon and urologist at the Maharajgunj-based hospital, Shila’s case was the first in Nepal wherein a child had a tumour in stomach.

She had the tumour growing when she was only eight months old. “A tumour of this type  is very rare. Only two to three per cent children suffer from this condition,” the doctor said, adding that 20 to 30 such cases are admitted to the hospital every year.

With her abdominal mass progressively increasing, the patient had difficulty in carrying out her day-to-day activities and also in breathing.

“Apparently she was malnourished and underweight. The size of her abdomen was bigger than that of a full-term pregnant woman,” Dr Chaudhary said, adding that after the surgery, the child was out of danger.

Dr Chaudhary also informed that the tumour had been sent for further test.

“It took 10 long years to get treatment for my daughter due to our poverty,” said Jivan Nepali, the father of the child.

“Earlier when we noticed the tumour in her abdomen, we took her to the district hospital in Pyuthan where doctors referred the case to a Palpa hospital. We went there, too, but couldn’t get proper treatment for our daughter. Then I gave up on her treatment,” he added.

Organising a press meet today, the hospital said despite the risks involved in her treatment, including kidney malfunction and nerve injuries, it successfully removed the tumour through surgery which the hospital said took almost three hours to complete.

“Considering her family’s poor financial condition, we have carried out the operation for free, whereas different other agencies have footed the bill for medicines and other expenses,” Dr Chaudhary said.