# Doctors remove 23kg tumour from patient **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 26, 2010, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-remove-23kg-tumour-from-patient/551501 "2010-08-26T05:19:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-remove-23kg-tumour-from-patient/551501/21 "2010-08-26T18:43:53Z")
Well, I’m back to not eating beef again. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-remove-23kg-tumour-from-patient/551501/22 "2010-08-26T19:11:47Z")
How much do you think that would be per pound at the butcher’s shop? Probably not much if tripe, tongue and oxtails are any indication. But I’ll bet Andrew Zimmern would have a field day! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-remove-23kg-tumour-from-patient/551501/23 "2010-08-26T19:15:37Z")
Dr. Ahnuld: “It IS a tumah!” ---
**Author:** ![MN\_Maenad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e95f7d/32.png) [@MN\_Maenad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MN_Maenad)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-remove-23kg-tumour-from-patient/551501/24 "2010-08-26T19:22:00Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > When I see stories like that, I always wonder how people let things get this far. Hmmm. Well, the story says the woman weighed 140kg, which is about 300 lb. I’ve got some 300 lb friends, I could see them hiding a large tumor like that. Hope she has a full recovery. ---
**Author:** ![Gukumatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@Gukumatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gukumatz)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-remove-23kg-tumour-from-patient/551501/25 "2010-08-26T20:04:57Z")
> [@MN\_Maenad](#): > > > [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > > > When I see stories like that, I always wonder how people let things get this far. Hmmm. > > Well, the story says the woman weighed 140kg, which is about 300 lb. I’ve got some 300 lb friends, I could see them hiding a large tumor like that. Hope she has a full recovery. She only weighed 105 without the tumour, though. Which is still pretty big, but not HOT DAMN YOU’VE GOT A MEATBALL THE SIZE OF TEXAS IN YOUR ABDOMEN-hiding capable. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-remove-23kg-tumour-from-patient/551501/26 "2010-08-26T20:22:06Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > > [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > > > 23kg – is that a lot? > > [Google does the heavy lifting.](http://www.google.ca/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=23+kg+pounds&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&redir_esc=&ei=k5p2TLGBEcb-ngeey8zBAQ) A better example would be to type in “23 kg in pounds” in the google search field, you get the answer at the top of the page. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-remove-23kg-tumour-from-patient/551501/27 "2010-08-26T20:25:50Z")
For the metrically impaired, a kilogram (kg) is 2.2 pounds. So you can get a good idea of the actual weight just by doubling the kilograms. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-remove-23kg-tumour-from-patient/551501/28 "2010-08-26T20:26:12Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > Maybe a medical doper can explain how in the world they biopsy something that big? With tumors we take off animals we usually have to cut them up before sending them off. Would they first xray something that big? Take core samples? Just shave a little off the top? Animals usually have huge tumors too. Why would they x-ray unless they suspected already it had bone? They would most likely weight it, measure it, take a lot of pictures, and carefully cut it into different pieces that can be fixed in formalin, and from that take even smaller representative areas to put into cassettes that will turn into slides. They’ll probably get several sections of margins (especially if they removed it with some “healthy tissue” around it), perhaps some of the core, and of any places that look interesting during gross examination. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-remove-23kg-tumour-from-patient/551501/29 "2010-08-26T21:19:35Z")
I forgot until just now, but my friend put her (obese) labrador to sleep recently because they found out she had a giant, malignant abdominal tumor that was smushing her organs. She didn’t have any symptoms until she started vomiting, they took her right in, then after a scan were told she had only a few painful months to live unless they wanted to pursue very expensive surgery. I guess it can happen to anyone. 50 pounds was a record-breaker though - for a malignant tumor in humans. Apparently there have been cases of benign tumors weighing over 100 pounds. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-remove-23kg-tumour-from-patient/551501/30 "2010-08-26T21:35:00Z")
> [@KarlGrenze](#): > > > [@Wile\_E](#): > > > > Maybe a medical doper can explain how in the world they biopsy something that big? With tumors we take off animals we usually have to cut them up before sending them off. Would they first xray something that big? Take core samples? Just shave a little off the top? > > Animals usually have huge tumors too. > > Why would they x-ray unless they suspected already it had bone? They would most likely weight it, measure it, take a lot of pictures, and carefully cut it into different pieces that can be fixed in formalin, and from that take even smaller representative areas to put into cassettes that will turn into slides. > > They’ll probably get several sections of margins (especially if they removed it with some “healthy tissue” around it), perhaps some of the core, and of any places that look interesting during gross examination. I know animals have large tumors, I’ve seen some 10 pound hemangisarcomas. We cut off a few pieces to send off for histopath but never the entire tumor if it can’t fit in a small formalin jar. I always thought they had to be more thorough with people and basically wondered if they had to slice up the whole thing to check all the margins. As for an xray, it was in the uterus so, yes, I thought they might check to see if it was once a fetus. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-remove-23kg-tumour-from-patient/551501/31 "2010-08-26T22:11:55Z")
It’s interesting that the article describes it as “what they think is the world’s largest malignant tumour.” Does that imply there are records of larger _benign_ tumors? ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-remove-23kg-tumour-from-patient/551501/32 "2010-08-26T22:25:33Z")
How do they dispose of something that big and disgusting? Well, I suppose they’ll keep it for study. But when a hospital gets rid of body parts or tumors that aren’t going to be interred in some manner, how do they do it? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-remove-23kg-tumour-from-patient/551501/33 "2010-08-26T22:37:16Z")
Incineration, probably. Isn’t most medical waste burnt? I still can’t bring myself to click on that link. ---
**Author:** ![fuzzypickles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9d8465/32.png) [@fuzzypickles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fuzzypickles)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-remove-23kg-tumour-from-patient/551501/34 "2010-08-26T22:47:57Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Does that imply there are records of larger _benign_ tumors? Oh yes indeed: [300 pound tumor](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvDUXKegwZw) ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-remove-23kg-tumour-from-patient/551501/35 "2010-08-26T22:51:18Z")
> [@Mach Tuck](#): > > How do they dispose of something that big and disgusting? > > Well, I suppose they’ll keep it for study. But when a hospital gets rid of body parts or tumors that aren’t going to be interred in some manner, how do they do it? Now you know why so many people do not like hospital food. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-remove-23kg-tumour-from-patient/551501/36 "2010-08-26T23:41:35Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > > [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > > > Broomstick, there is no way on earth your scenario would ever play out. No doctor would mistake a tumor for a baby for longer than it takes to get the results of the blood work. > > Not to mention that they usually have you come back sooner than 9 months and do ultrasounds. Also the woman was 54 and most likely menopausal. OK, but do you realize how many women _don’t_ go to the doctor pronto when they suspect pregnancy? It’s more common than you think, in which case medicine might not get involved until month 9 or so. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-remove-23kg-tumour-from-patient/551501/37 "2010-08-26T23:44:50Z")
> [@fuzzypickles](#): > > > [@scr4](#): > > > > Does that imply there are records of larger _benign_ tumors? > > Oh yes indeed: [300 pound tumor](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvDUXKegwZw) Is that Chris Collinsworth narrating? ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-remove-23kg-tumour-from-patient/551501/38 "2010-08-26T23:46:39Z")
> [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](#): > > I still can’t bring myself to click on that link. It doesn’t look any different than a big round of beef in a butcher shop. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-remove-23kg-tumour-from-patient/551501/39 "2010-08-26T23:50:49Z")
> [@rhubarbarin](#): > > I forgot until just now, but my friend put her (obese) labrador to sleep recently because they found out she had a giant, malignant abdominal tumor that was smushing her organs. She didn’t have any symptoms until she started vomiting, they took her right in, then after a scan were told she had only a few painful months to live unless they wanted to pursue very expensive surgery. > > I guess it can happen to anyone. 50 pounds was a record-breaker though - for a malignant tumor in humans. Apparently there have been cases of benign tumors weighing over 100 pounds. Actually, the record is _300 pounds_ (136 kg), removed from a woman in 1991 at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, California. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-remove-23kg-tumour-from-patient/551501/40 "2010-08-27T00:09:29Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > Is that Chris Collinsworth narrating? Yep. He was the host of some eps of the “Guinness Book of World Records” Series that ran on Fox in the 1990s or so. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-remove-23kg-tumour-from-patient/551501.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-remove-23kg-tumour-from-patient/551501.md?page=3)