Chinese man with 15 kg facial tumor operated successfully

A man with massive kilogram (33-pound) tumor that hung down from his face, obscuring his features and warping his backbone, was operated successfully by Chinese surgeons, as they said Tuesday.

More than 10 doctors and nurses took part in the hourlong surgery that removed the tumor, said Xu Kecheng, president of Fuda Cancer Hospital in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.

The patient, Huang Chuncai, 31, from southern Hunan province, suffered from a facial tumor with a perimeter of 97 centimeters (38.2 inches) and measuring 57 centimeters (22.4 inches) long, according to the hospital.

Huang's facial tumor became noticeable when he was 4 years old, the hospital said. It grew bigger and more quickly as he grew older, blocking his left eye, pushing his left ear to shoulder level, knocking out his teeth and deforming his backbone.

Huang is only 1.35 meters (4.5 feet) tall and had trouble speaking, hearing and eating before the surgery.

Xu said the surgeons' biggest challenge was to avoid massive bleeding because there were large blood vessels in Huang's tumor. One the doctors who operated on Huang, Niu Lizhi, said the surgical team prevented bleeding by freezing the tumor.

Niu said Huang is being closely monitored and that he expects the patient to be discharged in a month.