Doctor to remove man's 90-kg tumour

A Vietnamese man will have an operation to remove a 90 kg tumour from his right leg.

Nguyen Duy Hai (31) will have the gruelling 10-hour surgery at the France-Vietnam hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.
The team of surgeons will be led by American doctor McKay McKinnon, who has successfully removed other large tumours in his 30-year career.



An attempt to remove Hai's tumour in 1997 was unsuccessful and doctors were forced to amputate his right leg below the knee.

Hai's condition has now improved just enough for the procedure to be carried out.

"It's common for people to fear death, and I'm no exception," said Hai.

"But when I heard Dr McKinnon had decided to come back to Vietnam one more time to give me a new life, I became more hopeful."

Hai's tumour began growing when he was a boy and is thought to be the biggest ever recorded in Vietnam.

Dr McKinnon successfully operated on a similar size tumour growing out of a Michigan woman in 1999.

He said this patient was older and in worse shape than Hai, but came through the operation and is now leading a normal life.

As such Dr McKinnon said he is feeling positive about Hai's surgery, despite the operation carrying a 50 per cent success rate.