Aster CMI Hospital Doctors Remove Rare Grapefruit-Sized Neck Tumor in Life-Threatening Case

Bengaluru, March 6th, 2026 – In a rare and complex surgical feat, doctors at Aster CMI Hospital successfully removed a massive 11x7 cm benign tumor from the neck of a woman in her early 70s from Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu. The tumor, roughly the size of a grapefruit, was invading the internal jugular vein (the main vein draining the brain) at the skull base, making the surgery challenging and high-risk.

The patient had thyroid cancer, and the large neck swelling was initially suspected to be large lymph node metastasis from the thyroid. Given the size of the mass and its proximity to critical vascular structures, there was significant concern about potential vessel injury during surgery, which could have led to life-threatening bleeding. The patient from Nagercoil, who had delayed treatment due to fear of surgical complications, was referred to Aster CMI Hospital for advanced management.

Following meticulous pre-operative planning and careful surgical exploration, the team successfully removed the tumor while preserving all surrounding vital structures. Post-operative histopathological examination revealed that while the patient had thyroid cancer, the large neck mass was not a metastatic lymph node but an invasive schwannoma, a benign nerve sheath tumor.

Schwannomas are typically small and are often asymptomatic. Very rarely do tumours grow to this size in the neck, with global literature having under a dozen reports. Even rarer was how the lesion invaded the internal jugular vein; invasive schwannomas that infiltrate surrounding structures are extremely rare, and this happens when the vessel wall is thinned down by continuous pressure. What made the surgery extremely challenging was the invasion of the vein at the skull base level, which made vascular control very difficult; a vascular injury could lead to torrential bleeding. Additionally, the common and internal carotid arteries, which supply the brain were compressed and distorted.

The patient had an uneventful recovery, was discharged on the third post-operative day, and has since returned to Nagercoil. She is currently doing well with no complications.

Dr. Narayana Subramaniam, Lead Consultant – Head and Neck Surgery & Oncology, Aster CMI Hospital, said, “This was an extraordinarily rare and challenging case. While schwannomas are benign tumours, it is highly unusual for them to grow to such a large size and compress major blood vessels in the neck. The proximity to vital vascular structures meant that even a minor injury could have had serious consequences. The surgery required meticulous planning, precise dissection, and a highly coordinated surgical team. Initially we had planned to ligate the vessel within the temporal bone (skull) but managed without this, reducing morbidity and hastening recovery. We are pleased that the tumor was removed safely and that the patient recovered smoothly. The presence of a thyroid cancer with a giant invasive schwannoma may perhaps be the only reported case of its kind.”

Dr. Prashanth N, CEO - Aster Hospitals, Karnataka Cluster, added, “This rare case highlights the advanced surgical expertise and multidisciplinary capabilities at Aster CMI Hospital. Successfully managing such high-risk and unusual presentations reflects our commitment to delivering world-class, patient-centric care backed by clinical excellence and advanced infrastructure.”