In what doctors are calling a “rare and life-saving feat,” a multidisciplinary team at the government-run St George’s Hospital successfully removed a massive 10.4 kg ovarian tumour from a 40-year-old woman, Meena Raoji Solanki, who weighed just 20 kg excluding the tumour.
This extraordinary surgery saved the life of the critically malnourished patient from Crawford Market, whose condition had deteriorated alarmingly over 18 months. Her abdomen had swelled to the size of carrying “six or seven babies,” she said, and the tumour had spread to vital organs including the liver, spleen, and intestines—causing severe breathing difficulties.
Ignored Symptoms Turned Fatal Threat
Meena’s ordeal began after she accidentally bumped her stomach against a table, ignoring the mild pain that followed. Over time, her weight dropped drastically, her periods stopped at age 36, and her abdomen continued to swell unnaturally.
“I thought these changes were because of my periods stopping. I ignored it. But soon, I couldn’t eat or walk properly,” Meena recalled.
By May, her condition worsened with mouth ulcers, continuous vomiting, and extreme weakness. With help from her brother and a social worker, she was rushed to St George’s Hospital, where scans revealed a shocking diagnosis—a tumour consuming almost her entire abdominal cavity.
A Complex, High-Risk Surgery
“This was one of the most complicated surgeries I’ve ever performed,” said Dr Rajshree Katke, professor and head of gynaecology. “The tumour compressed the lungs and displaced vital organs. Her body was dangerously malnourished, making survival during surgery uncertain.”
The tense four-hour operation involved gynaecologists, oncologists, and anaesthetists working in perfect coordination to remove the tumour without damaging critical organs or rupturing inflamed blood vessels.
A New Lease on Life
Post-surgery, Meena was shifted to the ICU and later to the general ward. She is now on a high-protein recovery diet and is slowly regaining strength and mobility.
“I feel like I’ve been given a second life,” said an emotional Meena. “For so long I felt trapped in my own body.”
Doctors praised the collective effort that made the surgery a success, saving a life that seemed on the brink.
