Woman with 5kg tumor on her face

Patient TTH, 61 years old (Dong Hung, Thai Binh ), came to the Oncology Center of Thai Binh Provincial General Hospital for examination with an abnormally large tumor in the left jaw-neck angle, causing pain, discomfort, and difficulty breathing.

"The large size of the tumor has distorted the face, pulling the left side of the face and the left side of the neck askew," said Dr. Nguyen Phuc Kien, Director of the Oncology Center.

Ms. H. stated that the tumor at the left corner of her jaw appeared 30 years ago and was surgically treated about 10 years ago. However, in recent years, the tumor has recurred at the left corner of her jaw and neck and has grown rapidly, causing her many difficulties in life.

Upon examination, doctors diagnosed the patient with a benign vascular fibroma and recommended surgical removal. However, this was a rare case, and the surgery was difficult due to the tumor's large size and the fact that it had already been surgically removed once. Furthermore, the tumor's location had a complex anatomical structure with many large nerves and blood vessels running through it, resulting in a high risk of complications during and after surgery, potentially endangering the patient's life.

A giant tumor on the patient's face. (Photo: Provided by the hospital)

"The tumor had spread and adhered to the fascia and muscles of the left neck, the phrenic nerve, cranial nerve V10, the cardiac nerve, the left carotid artery, and the left jugular vein, making surgical dissection very difficult ," shared Dr. Luong Van Nhat, Head of the General Planning Department and Deputy Head of the Surgery Department at the Oncology Center, who directly performed the surgery on the patient.

In addition to the large tumor, the patient also had many small tumors embedded in the fascia and muscles of the left neck, so the doctors spent a considerable amount of time surgically removing the tumors while preserving the surrounding organs.

After more than 3 hours, the surgery was successful. The large tumor, measuring approximately 40x30x40 cm and weighing 4.6 kg, along with more than a dozen smaller tumors less than 1 cm in size, were successfully removed by the doctors. The patient's health is currently stable.

The Oncology Center at Thai Binh Provincial General Hospital has encountered numerous cases of patients seeking examination and treatment for giant tumors. Doctors advise that if any unusual lump is detected on the body, patients should go to the hospital for examination. Based on factors such as location, size, extent of impact, and the condition of the tumor, specialists will advise and provide the most optimal treatment plan for the patient.

If patients are negligent and allow the tumor to grow, it can lead to infection, inflammation, ulceration, and pus discharge, compressing and adhering to neighboring organs, reducing or eliminating the function of those organs, and even becoming cancerous. At this point, tumor removal will be more complicated, time-consuming, and expensive.

Nguyen Ngoan

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