Larger Than a Cricket Ball: 72-Year-Old Patient Successfully Undergoes Liver Tumour Surgery Without a Major Incision

Greater Noida : Despite advanced age and complex medical conditions, including liver cirrhosis, diabetes and high blood pressure, doctors at Yatharth Super Speciality Hospital, Omega-1, Greater Noida, successfully performed surgery on a 72-year-old patient with a large liver tumour measuring approximately 10–12 cm, larger than a cricket ball. The surgical team removed the right lobe of the liver using a fully minimally invasive laparoscopic technique, avoiding the need for a major surgical incision. According to the hospital team, this is the first procedure of its kind in the region performed entirely through a minimally invasive approach.

The complexity of the case lay not only in the size of the tumour but also in the patient's underlying medical conditions. Liver cirrhosis posed an additional challenge, as the surgical team had to remove the cancerous portion while preserving sufficient healthy liver tissue and ensuring adequate residual liver function. Given the patient's age and pre-existing conditions, the procedure required detailed pre-operative assessment and careful planning for monitoring during and after surgery.

Manohar Singh, a resident of Dhanoli, Agra, had been experiencing abdominal pain for approximately nine months. He was admitted to the hospital in the second week of June 2026. Detailed investigations, including a triple-phase CT scan, revealed an irregularly shaped tumour measuring approximately 10–12 cm in the right lobe of the liver, which was classified as Stage III. The patient also had a history of Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and liver cirrhosis.

After assessing the patient's overall health, cardiac and pulmonary function, and the functional capacity of the remaining liver, the medical team planned the surgical intervention. In June 2026, under general anaesthesia, the patient underwent diagnostic laparoscopy, laparoscopic right hepatectomy (surgical removal of the right portion of the liver) and cholecystectomy (removal of the gallbladder).

The operation lasted approximately six to seven hours, with an estimated blood loss of around 200 ml. The procedure was completed successfully without any intra-operative or post-operative surgical complications. Histopathological examination of the removed tissue reported moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma, with all surgical margins found to be free of cancer.

Following surgery, the patient was kept under observation in the intensive care unit (ICU) for two days and was taken off ventilator support on June 17. He showed good recovery over the next four to five days. According to the hospital team, the patient currently does not require any additional cancer treatment.

*Dr. Manoj Gupta, Senior Director and Head – Robotic and Laparoscopic GI Surgery, GI Oncology and Liver Transplant, Yatharth Super Speciality Hospital, Omega-1, Greater Noida,* said, “Major surgery in elderly patients can be particularly challenging when they also have conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and liver cirrhosis. Such cases require meticulous pre-operative planning and close monitoring throughout the surgical procedure and recovery period. In this patient, the tumour measured approximately 10–12 cm, and our primary objective was to remove the cancerous portion while preserving the function of the remaining liver. Successfully completing such a complex procedure entirely through a minimally invasive laparoscopic approach is an important achievement for our team. Blood loss during surgery was approximately 200 ml, and there were no surgical complications. The patient also demonstrated a good recovery following the procedure.”

The successful surgery highlights the role of advanced minimally invasive surgical techniques in managing complex liver tumours in carefully selected patients. By enabling the removal of the affected portion of the liver without a major incision, laparoscopic surgery can offer an alternative to conventional open surgery, depending on the patient's condition, tumour characteristics and clinical suitability.