17.07.2026 20:00
In Kocaeli, a 74-year-old citizen went to the hospital with complaints of general malaise, low blood pressure, and weakness. The patient was referred to the urology service, and following ultrasound and tomography examinations, a kidney tumor approximately 25-27 centimeters in diameter completely filling the abdominal cavity and a 6-centimeter aneurysm (ballooning) in the abdominal aorta were detected.
A 74-year-old citizen in Kocaeli went to the hospital with complaints of general malaise, low blood pressure, and weakness. After being referred to the urology service, ultrasound and tomography scans revealed a kidney tumor approximately 25-27 centimeters in diameter completely filling the abdominal cavity and a 6-centimeter aneurysm (ballooning) in the abdominal aorta.
HE ACCEPTED THE HIGH-RISK OPERATION
The patient, whose kidney mass was detected about 1.5 years ago but refused treatment due to fear of surgery, accepted the high-risk operation after being informed by physicians. In a joint surgery performed by the Urology, General Surgery, and Cardiovascular Surgery teams lasting about 1.5 hours, the 6.5-kilogram tumor and diseased kidney were successfully removed.
HE FEARED SURGICAL OPERATION
Prof. Dr. Mustafa Güneş, Training Supervisor of the Urology Clinic at Kocaeli City Hospital, who described the details of the successful operation, stated that the surgery carried serious life risk due to the patient's general condition, age, and ballooning in the abdominal aorta. Güneş said, "Our patient is 74 years old. He presented to the emergency outpatient clinic with general malaise, low blood pressure, and weakness. He was admitted to the ward by the internal medicine department. After evaluation by internal medicine, he was consulted to us due to the mass in his kidney. After his general condition improved, we took over our patient in our clinic. Actually, we later learned that this mass had been detected about 1.5 years ago, but our patient did not consult a physician during this period because he feared surgical operation."
"IT POSED A SIGNIFICANT SURGICAL RISK"
Stating that a mass of approximately 27 centimeters was detected on ultrasound, Güneş said, "Then CT scans were taken. The CT also revealed a giant mass about 25 centimeters in diameter, covering almost the entire abdominal cavity. In addition, there was a ballooning of about 6 centimeters, which we call an aneurysm, in the main artery, the abdominal aorta. There was also a formation called a thrombus inside. This patient, due to both his age and general condition, as well as the presence of an aneurysm, carried significant surgical risk. Because during the operation, in situations like a rise in blood pressure, there was a risk of the aneurysm rupturing, which could have been a serious cause of death. Therefore, we evaluated our patient multidisciplinary. We decided on surgery together with cardiovascular surgery and general surgery due to this mass filling the entire abdominal cavity and causing displacement of organs."
''IT COVERED THE ENTIRE ABDOMINAL CAVITY''
Güneş stated that the Cardiovascular Surgery team was also present in the operating room in case of a possible vascular rupture during the operation, and said, "We performed the surgery together with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Çiftçi and his team from general surgery. The cardiovascular surgery team was also present in the operating room. Because at any time during the operation, a vascular problem or rupture could occur, thankfully. We completed our operation in a short time without needing them. We managed to remove our patient's mass without any complications. Our patient was monitored in the intensive care unit for one day. Then he came to the ward. We removed his drains. His general condition was also quite good. It was a giant mass covering the entire abdominal cavity."
"6.5 KILOGRAM GIANT MASS"
Güneş, stating that the mass weighed 6.5 kilograms, noted: "The final pathology result is not out yet, but it was probably a renal cell tumor originating from the kidney. It was not a tumor showing very aggressive features. It was a tumor originating from the lower part of the kidney. Thank God, our team worked very harmoniously. Thanks to their efforts, we operated on our patient without any problems and discharged him in good health. The operation took about 1.5 hours. There was a giant mass here. Therefore, we had to completely remove the right kidney."
"THESE ARE DEFINITE RISK FACTORS"
Prof. Dr. Güneş stated that kidney tumors are mostly detected incidentally during examinations for other diseases, and symptoms appear in only 15-20% of patients as blood in urine or flank pain. Güneş said, "Kidney tumors are usually detected incidentally during examinations for another reason. They do not give very clear symptoms in the classical sense. There may be blood in urine, flank pain on the affected side, or complaints due to the mass pressing on surrounding organs depending on its size. However, these occur in only about 15-20% of patients. The majority are detected incidentally and come to us this way. The most important risk factors are smoking, hypertension, and obesity. These are definite risk factors. Besides these, there may be other factors like metabolic syndrome."
"I SAW IT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY PROFESSIONAL LIFE"
Güneş, stating that he encountered a kidney mass of this size for the first time in his professional career in his clinic, said, "When we look at the world literature, kidney tumors reaching up to 46 centimeters have been reported. There are such cases both in our country and in the world, but their numbers are not very high. However, due to patient-related reasons, we can sometimes encounter such large masses."
"KIDNEY TUMORS RANK 14TH AMONG ALL CANCERS WORLDWIDE"
Prof. Dr. Mustafa Güneş, Training Supervisor of the Urology Clinic at Kocaeli City Hospital, stating that kidney tumors rank 14th among the most common cancers in the world, concluded his words as follows: "Smoking is an important risk factor not only for kidney tumors but also for bladder tumors and lung tumors. Kidney tumors rank approximately 14th among all cancers worldwide and constitute about 2% of all cancers. Therefore, smoking must be quit. If there is hypertension, it must be treated under physician supervision. Particular attention should be paid to obesity. Because these are the most important risk factors for kidney tumors. When diagnosed, treatment should not be delayed. It is beneficial to get treatment quickly. When treated early, both our job becomes easier and the patient's chance of being treated before metastasis develops increases."
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