German Woman Living with 9kg Giant Tumor Starts New Life After 6-Hour Surgery

Type 1 Neurofibromatosis Patients
Appear in Only 0.03% of the Population

A woman who lived with a 'giant tumor' weighing about 20% of her body weight has started a new life after a six-hour removal surgery.

The British 'Daily Mail' recently reported the story of Alexandra (30), a woman living in Deffingen, Germany, who successfully underwent tumor removal surgery. Alexandra had been living with a giant 9 kg tumor on her neck. The tumor's weight accounted for about 20% of her body weight.

Looking at the tumor in the photos, the mass of flesh grown from her body flows down below her waist. Alexandra is a patient with Type 1 Neurofibromatosis, a rare disease affecting only 0.03% of the global population.

Before and after photos of Alexandra, a woman who had a tumor weighing 9 kg [Image source=Daily Mail capture]

This disease occurs due to mutations in a gene known to regulate proteins involved in cell growth and suppress tumors. In unfortunate cases, the tumor can develop into cancer.

Alexandra first developed a tumor on her neck during elementary school. Since then, the tumor continued to grow over the past 20 years, eventually becoming so large that it reached above her thigh.

As the tumor enlarged, the pressure on her neck increased. This made breathing difficult and even standing became a struggle. When she went outside and walked on the street, her father had to protect her from behind.

Moreover, Alexandra's tumor was attached to her spinal cord. Attempting removal recklessly risked nerve damage leading to paralysis or death from excessive bleeding during surgery. Alexandra had met six doctors so far, but all diagnosed that the tumor could not be removed.

However, she met Dr. Ryan Osborne, director and surgeon at the Osborne Head and Neck Institute in Los Angeles, USA. Dr. Osborne's team performed the surgery by suspending the tumor on the operating table and applying a tourniquet to block blood flow and control bleeding. After six hours of surgery, the team successfully removed the tumor from Alexandra's neck.

Back in Germany, Alexandra said, "It is much better than I imagined in my dreams," and expressed her happiness, saying, "I am so happy to have a normal neck."