Melon-sized tumour removed from infant

A year-and-a-half-old boy has undergone an operation to remove a melon-sized tumour that weighed 2.3kg. Abdullah Al Jeraisy, an Iraqi boy from Sharjah, was born with a mixed soft tissue tumour in his chest which was continuously growing. The operation was performed on February 26. “My son was born with a small cyst in his left thoracic wall but it grew progressively until it reached the size of a handball”Dr Sami Ahmad Najim Al Jeraisy Dr Yasser Khattab, Specialist Plastic and Hand Surgeon at City Hospital, who operated on the toddler, told XPRESS: "The tumour had reached the size of a watermelon, preventing the full use of his left arm and shoulder." The tumour extended to the neck, left shoulder and left side of the chest. Although benign, it was compressing the nerves along his neck and upper limb, impacting the overlying skin down to the chest muscles, he said. The two-and-a-half-hour operation was done under general anaesthesia and entailed use of skin flaps without the risk of skin necrosis as the tumour was attached to the overlying skin, he added. "We had to take care to protect the nerves and keep the muscles intact," he said, describing the operation as uncommon, but not rare. "The patient was able to leave hospital in three days. He is active and has normal control over his chest and a full range of motion in his arm," he said. "Abdullah can lead a normal life but needs close monitoring to avoid tumour recurrence." Meanwhile, visiting the hospital for a follow-up on Wednesday, little Abdullah, all of 12kg, was a bundle of energy as he played with his older brother Ahmad and sister Zubaida. His father, Dr Sami Ahmad Najim Al Jeraisy, a specialist cardiologist at a private hospital in Sharjah, said, "My son was born with a small cyst in his left thoracic wall but it grew progressively until it reached the size of a handball. It was painless but it was affecting the function of his left arm and shoulder." "We are lucky that it was a benign tumour," he said. "We are thankful for the excellent care he received at the hospital," he said, adding that he spent Dh26,000 on the operation and hospital stay.