When a 45-year-old woman walked in to JJ Hospital last December, she had two tumours weighing 4kg each in her breasts. It was so heavy that it touched her navel area and she had problems carrying out her daily chores. The doctors and the woman thought it was breast cancer. However, on examination, doctors were surprised to find it to be non-cancerous and a case of a very rare kind of tumour. Quoting medical literature, doctors said there had only been two such cases reported so far in the world.
When a 45-year-old woman walked in to JJ Hospital last December, she had two tumours weighing 4kg each in her breasts. It was so heavy that it touched her navel area and she had problems carrying out her daily chores. The doctors and the woman thought it was breast cancer. However, on examination, doctors were surprised to find it to be non-cancerous and a case of a very rare kind of tumour. Quoting medical literature, doctors said there had only been two such cases reported so far in the world.
How was it confirmed?
Dr Ajay Bhandarwar, professor, JJ Hospital's surgery department, said: "After clinically examining it, we thought it was malignant tumour. To confirm the nature of the tumour, we conducted a battery of tests and found it to be benign in nature. It was a moment of huge relief for the patient as well as doctors."
What is it in medical terms?
Dr Bhandarwar explained that the Jalgaon resident had 'Synchronous Bilateral Benign Phyllodes' – tumour arising from the tissue on both the breasts at the same time. The doctor said: "Phyllodes tumour (PT) is a rare breast neoplasms accounting for 0.5 % of all primary breast tumours. Most of the reported cases (medical literature) are asynchronous tumour. Only two cases of Synchronous Bilateral Benign Phyllodes have been reported before. Since the tumour grew at the same time in both the breasts, she didn't initially realise what was happening. In three years, the tumour grew to the point when it started affecting her daily activities."
How long did the surgery take?
From Jalgaon, the woman reached Mumbai for treatment with the help of local activists. "The tumour involved the entire breast tissue. We told her mastectomy was the only option. In a three-and-a-half hour long surgery, we removed the tumours. We could only save her nipple, areola," said Dr Amol Wagh, assistant professor, surgery department.
Has the patient been discharged?
The woman is still recuperating, and doctors are planning a cosmetic surgery after six to eight months.
What does she say now?
"For me it's a new lease of life. I thought I had cancer and it was the end of the road. When doctors referred me to JJ Hospital, my relatives and neighbours said it was because I had cancer. But my worst fears came to rest when doctors revealed that it was a non-cancerous tumour and that I had the rarest of rare type of tumour, what ever that meant," said Saritabai wiping tears in her eyes.
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