Man let massive head tumor grow for 20 years over alleged fear of surgery

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Surgeons successfully removed an 11-pound tumor from a man’s head after he finally sought help for the mass that had been reportedly growing for 20 years. The patient, identified only as a man in India named Sakthivel, was allegedly afraid to see a doctor after his brother died during an earlier surgery, SWNS reported.

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But the mass began restricting the 31-year-old's movement and greatly impacted his everyday life, prompting him to finally seek help.

The tumor weighed 11 pounds and took 10 hours to remove.  (SWNS)

“The patient came to our hospital in the second week of May with a huge growth on his head and restrictions of neck movement,” Dr. J. Srisaravanan, Sakthivel’s neurosurgeon at Government Rajaji Hospital, told SWNS.

Srisaravanan, who led the 10-hour surgery to remove the tumor, said that cost was also preventing his patient from seeking previous treatment.

Sakthivel, pictured with his surgeons, is said to be doing well. (SWNS)

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“The tumor was almost equal in size to his head,” he told the news outlet. “I had never come across such a big tumor in the head in my career of 15 years in neurosurgery.”