Before the disease ravaged his body, the war had exhausted everything around him. In Sudan, where battles are ravaging the health infrastructure and making access to treatment difficult, the story of a man who carried a giant tumor around his neck turned into a tale of challenge and medical achievement that sparked admiration on social media platforms, after a Sudanese medical team succeeded in removing it with a rare operation that lasted more than 5 hours.
At Al-Itqaa Hospital in Wad Madani, doctors received a patient suffering from massive enlargement of the multinodular thyroid gland, a condition that causes the gland to gradually enlarge with the appearance of nodules within its tissues, before in some cases it reaches exceptional sizes. According to the medical team, the size of the removed tumor was about 75 centimeters in length and 25 centimeters in width, while its weight reached about 5.5 kilograms, which caused severe pressure on the trachea, esophagus, and blood vessels in the neck.
Director of Al-Atqiaa Hospital, Dr. Al-Sir Al-Tayeb, says that the delay in patients arriving for treatment is due to the weak health culture of many people, in addition to the exceptional circumstances that the country is going through due to the war. He stressed that the hospital is working to enhance medical awareness and encourage citizens to see doctors and not neglect medical conditions so that they do not worsen.
As for the patient, he expressed his gratitude to the medical team that performed the operation, stressing that the doctors made a great effort to remove the gland that continued to weigh down his neck, and that he feels much better today after the success of the surgery.
The operation, which was performed by an entirely Sudanese team led by General and Laparoscopic Surgery Consultant Dr. Majd al-Din Ahmed Ali, ended without significant complications, and the patient left the operating room in stable condition, while the image of the medical team turned into a symbol of celebrating the capabilities of Sudanese medical competencies despite the war conditions.
The story sparked a wide wave of interaction on social media, as Salah said:
The achievement deserves all respect and appreciation for Sudanese doctors and all medical staff. They have raised the heads of the Sudanese with this success. I pray to God to reward them well for saving lives.
Samah confirmed:
Sudanese competence is still present despite the war and harsh conditions, and Sudanese doctors are still a source of pride for the country.
As for Abdeen, he expressed his great confidence in Sudanese medicine, saying:
It is one of the most successful medical systems in the world, thanking what he described as the White Army.
Hisham said:
Such stories give Sudanese hope in the midst of crises, and confirm that the country is still vibrant with life and that Sudanese people are able to withstand despite adversity.
On the other hand, Mamdouh focused on the enormity of the tumor itself, saying:
I have never seen a tumor of this size in my life. It is a frightening sight. I wish all patients a recovery.
This rare operation brings back to the forefront the conversation about giant tumors documented in the history of medicine, as records indicate that the largest tumor completely removed was an ovarian tumor that weighed 138 kilograms. It was removed in 1991 at Stanford Medical Center in the United States of America, and was later recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records.