In a rare surgery, the doctors at the Bombay Hospital removed an 8-kg tumour from the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) of a 62-year-old woman on Saturday.

Satyavati Sawant, a resident of Andheri, was carrying the cancerous tumour, which filled her entire abdominal cavity for more than two years.

Satyawati, a widow, said, “I am feeling good after a long time.”

Earlier, two other hospitals left Sawant dejected because of the problematical nature of the surgical procedure along with other risks.

But, Satyawati came in contact with cancer specialists at the Bombay Hospital during the last week.

It took a sever-hour surgery for Sawant to remove the cancerous tumour even as the vital organs were unaffected. There was no spillage and all the organs including the small bowel were intact.

Dr. Amit Gandhi, consultant cancer surgeon at Bombay Hospital who operated upon Sawant, said, “The tumour was big in size and had occupied the whole of abdomen. She was fit for operation two months back and could have developed further complications if she wasn’t operated upon.”

The doctors also said that Sawant, who was diagnosed with cancer 18 months back, suffers from a rare form of cancer known as leiomyosarcoma, which bothers the soft muscles, usually in the abdomen.

She said, “I was scared of the operation but when I went to my native place my stomach started bloating suddenly and the pain was unbearable. I went to KEM Hospital, however, due to complications attached they did not take my case and referred me to Tata Memorial Hospital where I was not operated upon due to unavailability of beds.”

What makes this case rare is the fact that the tumor was in the medium-sized artery- the occurrence of which is one in a lakh cancer cases.

“The tumour was present in the superior mesenteric artery (SMA), a main blood supply to the small bowel,” said Dr. Gandhi.

Now, Satyawati is recovering at the hospital’s general ward, and she has to go through rounds of radiation in order to prevent the recurrence of the tumour.