Woman Has 88-Pound Tumour Removed

A woman who complained of a rapidly expanding waistline was surprised to discover an

unusual cause of her girth: an 88-lb., mucus-filled ovarian tumour.

The 57-year-old Brazilian woman noticed her midsection grew over the course of a year,

but other than a heavy feeling in her belly, and breathing that was slightly faster than normal,

she had few other symptoms, according to a report of her case, published March 4 in

the Journal of Medical Case Reports.

88 pound tumor

A woman who complained of a rapidly-expanding waistline was surprised to find an unusual cause: an 88-pound

(40 kilogram) mucus-filled tumor. Photo Credit: de Lima et al, Journal of Medical Case Reports, 2014

Common ailment

Mucus-filled ovarian cysts, known as mucinous cystadenomas, are fairly common, and most often

strike women ages 30 to 50, said Dr. Jonathan Herman, an obstetric surgeon at Long Island Jewish

Medical Center in New Hyde Park, N.Y., who was not involved in the woman's case.

Although some cysts are cancerous, most are benign. The majority of these benign tumours are very tiny,

and disappear on their own with no treatment. The main symptoms are a feeling of bloating or heaviness,

or that pants and skirts don't fit well. Larger cysts can put pressure on the bladder as well, Herman said.

But occasionally, a cyst will grow until it meets resistance from the abdominal wall, Herman said.

"When you cut it open, mucus just comes pouring out," Herman told Live Science.

"Mucus is very heavy, so they grow to a large size."

Massive size

The woman — an overweight, postmenopausal 57-year-old from Brazil — first contacted doctors about

her rapidly growing waistline in 2003. She had slightly shallow breathing, and

a 52-inch (132 centimeters) waistline.

An ultrasound of her stomach revealed a huge, mucus-filled mass. The tumor was so big that it

had shoved her uterus to the side, squished her abdominal contents and

extended all the way up to her diaphragm.

When doctors began operating on the woman to remove the mass, they found it was a

16.5-inch by 15.7-inch by 11-inch (42 cm by 40 cm by 28 cm), mucus-filled tumor that

weighed as much as a small woman, or 88 lbs. (40 kilograms).

The tumor had some signs of early-stage cancer, so the woman underwent several rounds of chemotherapy.

Surgeons also removed part of her fallopian tubes, uterus and lymph nodes.

Ten years later, the patient is doing fine and has no more symptoms.

Though it's unusual for such masses to grow so large, Herman said he has seen similar cases.

He once operated on a young woman whose ovarian cyst grew to between 20 and 25 lbs. (9 to 11 kg).

"I had to roll it off the table; it was so heavy," Herman said.

Women may miss the symptoms of ovarian cysts because they think they're just putting on weight, he said.

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