Doctors at Central Military Hospital 108 successfully performed surgery, removing a 16x22cm tumor that occupies nearly half of the patient's left abdomen.
About 3 months before being hospitalized, the patient occasionally experienced simmering pain in the epigastric region in waves, lasting 1-2 minutes and then disappearing on its own. The pain was not related to eating or exercise, so the patient still lived normally.
During the examination, the patient was diagnosed with a small bowel tumor. However, because the symptoms did not significantly affect her life, the patient did not receive treatment.
One day before being hospitalized, abdominal pain increased significantly in the epigastric region and around the navel, cramps, accompanied by nausea and a high fever of 38-39 degrees Celsius, so the patient was taken to the hospital for emergency treatment.
Through examination, doctors discovered a large tumor occupying nearly half of the left abdomen, about 15x20cm in size, dense and painful when pressed. CT scan images showed a suspected tissue tumor of the digestive stroma (GIST) in the small intestine, located in the left side of the rib.
Immediately after that, the surgical team proceeded to remove the tumor and the damaged small intestine segment and restore digestive circulation for the patient. The removed tumor was 16x22cm in size, weighing about 3kg, with many necrotic areas inside.
According to Lieutenant Colonel, Dr. Nguyen To Hoai - Deputy Head of the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Central Military Hospital 108, GIST (gastrointestinal stromal tumor) is a type of tumor originating from the wall of the digestive tract, commonly found in the stomach and small intestine. Most of the disease progresses silently with atypical manifestations such as prolonged vague abdominal pain, weight loss, chronic anemia.
Many cases are only detected when complications have appeared such as gastrointestinal bleeding, intestinal obstruction or tumors growing too large causing necrosis.
