Doctors Save Farmer’s Life, Remove ‘Monster’ Tumor From His Thyroid 

A team of doctors at Sir Gangram Hospital in New Delhi successfully removed a tumor sized 20 cm from the neck of a 72-year-old farmer hailing from Begusarai in Bihar.

 

The farmer Raghubir* had difficulty breathing for 6 months. He also faced problems while eating food as he had trouble swallowing. 

 

He was brought to the Department of ENT and Head, Neck Onco Surgery, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi last month.

 

The surgery was performed by the Head and Neck Onco Surgery team led by Dr. Sangeet Agarwal.

 

Speaking to TNI, Dr. Sangeet Agarwal, Consultant, Head and Neck Onco Surgery said, “I have operated more than 250 such cases of huge thyroid tumors but this was a unique case in terms of weight and size.” 

 

Adding he said, “The normal butterfly-shaped thyroid gland which normally weighs 10-15 gms and is of 3-4 cms size, had grown to a size of 18-20cm appearing like a rock”.

 

The biggest risk involved was to lose the patient’s voice while operating on him which was averted successfully. His Bilateral Vocal Cord Nerves were undamaged after the surgery. 

 

Also, because of the high vascularity of the gland, chances of blood loss was very high.

 

The team of doctors had to take special care to avoid puncturing these blood vessels. His trachea was compressed because of which a special technique for anesthesia had to be applied.

 

“In such types of huge tumors, preservation of calcium and maintaining parathyroid glands was also a big challenge. We successfully preserved all four parathyroid glands,” the doctor said.

 

WATCH | A team of doctors at @sgrhindia led by Dr. @sangeetkagarwal successfully removed a ‘monster’ tumor from the neck of a 72-year-old farmer hailing from Begusarai in Bihar. pic.twitter.com/kWr4X2Kh2T

— The New Indian (@TheNewIndian_in) October 28, 2022

The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped organ located at the base of the neck. It releases hormones that control metabolism—the way the body uses energy.

 

The thyroid’s hormones regulate vital body functions that include breathing, Heart rate, Central and peripheral nervous systems, Body weight, Muscle strength, Menstrual cycles, Body temperature, and Cholesterol levels.

 

The thyroid gland located at the front end of the throat, is also referred as ‘Adam’s apple’.