A team of doctors from the Tamil Nadu Government Dental College and Hospital and Institute of Child Health (ICH) removed a rare tumour — Familial Gigantiform Cementoma — from a seven-year-old boy last month.
The tumour in the jaw was noticed a year and a half ago, and had sudden massive growth in the last six months. The boy complained of difficulty in breathing, eating and speaking. At ICH, doctors diagnosed him with Familial Gigantiform Cementoma, following a biopsy.
A team of doctors removed the tumour, weighing 1.5 kg, in a seven-hour-long surgery on August 2. The boy is now able to breathe and eat well. Doctors plan for tracheostomy closure and reconstruction of jaw by bone graft from illiac bone in the future. Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar met the boy on Tuesday. Among others, R. Narayana Babu, director of medical education, and G. Vimala, dean of the Tamil Nadu Government Dental College and Hospital, were present, a press release said.