The world's biggest uterine tumor has been removed from an Indian woman, UK MailOnline reported.
Identified as 52-year-old Latha, doctors in the southern city of Chennai performed a complex operation which resulted in the tumor being taken out.
Weighing 30lbs and measuring 21 inches in diameter, the giant watermelon-sized tumor was growing inside Latha, causing her to suffer from breathlessness and fatigue.
After arriving at Chennai's Kumaran Hospital due to heavy bleeding a month ago, doctors ran tests and discovered that she was severely anemic.
A "large fibroid" growth attached to the outer surface of the uterus, which was putting pressure on her body and causing her symptoms, was detected.
The team was "shocked" to find the massive growth, Dr. Mani Mekalai, head of the hospital's department of obstetrics and gynecology, said.
"In medical parlance, this is called a super-giant uterine fibroid and the largest one removed before this, in Africa weight 21lbs," she said. "From the sheer size of it, the tumor could have easily been there for more than 20 years."
Although tumor symptoms are normally connected to the location of the fibroid, the patient was unaware of its growth since the tumor was outside the uterus.
Within two days of being admitted to the hospital, Latha went into surgery.
Surgical gastroenterologist Dr. Shiva Kumar said, "The surgery which went on for three-and-a-half hours by itself was challenging as the fibroid, which takes blood supply to grow, had a lot of blood vessels attached to it."
"It was also stuck to the small bowel and omentum and was also pressing on the uterus," he said. "We had to carefully slice through and detach it."
Latha has recovered and been discharged from the hospital, according to UK MailOnline.
The fibroid that was removed recently was unusually large, Mekalai said.
"Nearly 25 percent of women in the reproductive group are susceptible to such fibroids and they usually come in multiples. High amounts of oestrogen can cause these tumors," she added.
Pictures can be seen here.
