Doctors at AIIMS, Delhi successfully operate on 14-year-old girl suffering from massive jaw tumour

New Delhi: A team of surgeons and medical professionals at the AIIMS here has successfully operated on a 14-year-old girl from Delhi who was suffering from a massive jaw tumour associated with hyperparathyroidism, a rare endocrine disorder.

The giant cell tumour of the jaw, which had grown to an enormous size of 18x15 cm, caused significant facial disfigurement and difficulty in eating and speaking.

According to the doctors who operated on her, this was by far the largest jaw tumour associated with hyperparathyroidism to their knowledge.

The operation, which was a collaborative effort between surgical disciplines and oral and maxillofacial surgery, was conducted by Dr Sunil Chumber, the Head of the Department of Surgery, and Dr Ajoy Roychoudhury, the Head of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

The parathyroid gland, which is located in the neck, plays a crucial role in maintaining the calcium and phosphate balance in the human body.

It secretes the parathyroid hormone (PTH), which regulates calcium levels in the blood.

"Hyperparathyroidism is a condition that causes the parathyroid gland to produce excess parathyroid hormone, leading to an increase in calcium levels in the blood," Dr Chumber said.

This can cause a range of symptoms, including weakness, fatigue and bone pain. In rare cases, it causes tumours to grow in the bones or soft tissues of the body. If these tumours are detected in time, they are completely cured surgically and may avoid other complications, Dr Chumber added.

"This 14-year-old girl had developed a giant cell tumour of the jaw, which had grown to an enormous size, causing significant facial disfigurement and difficulty in eating and speaking," Dr Roychoudhury said.

He explained that the tumour is a rare type and usually benign. "It was very risky in terms of bleeding and causing permanent damage to her ability to eat or speak, but we were able to manage well with accurate planning and a great team," Dr Roychoudhury added.

Jaw tumours caused by hyperparathyroidism are a rare but serious complication of the condition. These tumours are usually benign and slow-growing, but they can cause significant destruction of the jawbone, leading to pain, swelling and disfigurement.

If left untreated, they can also cause the loss of teeth and even fractures of the jaw bone, Dr Roychoudhury said.

Many times, if the parathyroid adenoma is left untreated, the entire jaw bone can show the spread of the tumour and can be lost in due course, causing severe debility.

Doctors emphasised the importance of early detection and treatment of hyperparathyroidism to avoid the development of such tumours and other related conditions.

Two-step surgeries were carried out. Due to a blocked oral cavity, challenges regarding administering anaesthesia were there and removing the large tumour from the jaw was risky in terms of causing damage to the nerves and vessels and bleeding, Roychoudhury said.

The surgeons were able to skilfully operate the large tumour and reconstruct within four hours.

The tumours were diagnosed using modern radiology and nuclear medicine diagnostic methods. The patient was operated for parathyroid adenoma by a team of surgeons led by Dr Chumber and her jaw tumour excision and reconstruction was performed by Dr Roychoudhury and Dr Ongkila Bhutia.

The patient has started to eat and is leading a healthy and normal life.