30.10.2025 19:30
In Erzurum, a watermelon-sized mass removed from the lung of 60-year-old Giyasettin Şahin surprised even a surgeon with 30 years of experience. Şahin, who initially refrained from surgery out of fear, had the mass removed in an emergency operation after it grew large enough to put pressure on his heart and lungs over the course of three years.
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A 60-year-old father of 5, Giyasettin Şahin, living in Bahçeköy village of Karlıova district in Bingöl, was advised to undergo surgery after a mass the size of an apple was detected in his lung three years ago during a hospital visit. Fearing the surgery, Şahin did not undergo the operation, and over the course of three years, the mass grew, putting serious pressure on his heart and lungs.
A LARGE MASS WAS DETECTED IN HIS LUNG
Şahin, who applied to Prof. Dr. Atilla Eroğlu, the Head of the Department of Thoracic Surgery at Atatürk University Medical Faculty, due to severe shortness of breath, was found to have a large mass measuring 20 centimeters in width and 30 centimeters in length in his lung during examinations. Şahin, who was reported to have a risk of death during the surgery and initially refused the operation due to fear, was readmitted to the emergency room after feeling unwell upon leaving the hospital. Later, accepting all risks, Şahin underwent surgery performed by Prof. Dr. Eroğlu and his team. The mass, weighing 3 kilograms and 426 grams and the size of a watermelon, surprised the doctors.
"IF THE SURGERY HAD BEEN DONE ON TIME, WE WOULDN'T HAVE REACHED THIS STAGE; THE MASS HAS REACHED WATERMELON SIZE"
Prof. Dr. Eroğlu, the President of the Turkish Thoracic Surgery Association and the Head of the Thoracic Surgery Clinic at Atatürk University Research Hospital, stated that the small mass in the patient's lung had grown over the past three years, filling the chest cavity and putting pressure on the heart and lungs.
Explaining that they removed the mass by cleaning it from the lung, heart, and vessels during the surgery, Eroğlu said, "The patient could not continue his life this way. The mass was very large and was putting pressure on the heart. The mass, which was previously the size of a small apple, had grown to the size of a watermelon, measuring 30 centimeters. We had to remove the mass under emergency conditions. Of course, if the surgery had been done on time, we wouldn't have reached this stage. We are discharging the patient who has regained his health after a successful operation." he said.
Eroğlu pointed out that they generally perform surgeries using closed methods, but due to the mass being very large, they had to perform this surgery openly.
"WE PERFORMED THE SURGERY WITH A 20% RISK OF DEATH"
Emphasizing that the surgery was very risky, Eroğlu stated, "Because the mass was very large, we explained this risk to the patient and their relatives, obtained their consent, and performed the operation. We performed the surgery with a 20% risk of death. After the surgery, the respiratory functions improved, and the shortness of breath passed. We will decide on additional treatment according to the pathology results of the mass, which has both benign and malignant characteristics." Prof. Dr. Eroğlu noted that he has performed nearly 30,000 surgeries in about 30 years and stated that such cases are rare, saying, "It was the largest mass I have removed in my 30-year surgical career."
"I WISH I HAD DONE IT EARLIER; I REGRET A LOT"
Patient Şahin expressed his happiness for regaining his health, saying, "First God, then my doctor Atilla saved me; thanks to him, I held on to life. I thank my doctor very much; I said, 'Whatever God has written will happen.' I couldn't breathe, I couldn't lie down, I had quit smoking. This disease appeared three years ago; there was a small mass. They said 'surgery,' I was scared and didn't do it; I wish I had, I regret not having done it." he stated.
Makbule Şahin also mentioned that her husband did not undergo surgery years ago due to fear and that the mass grew, saying, "We couldn't believe it when we saw the 3.5-kilogram mass. During the surgery, we said, 'either he dies or he survives.' The doctor had said there could be a risk of death and paralysis, but thank God he survived; we are very happy, thank God my husband was saved, and he reunited with his children. May God never let our state and my doctor Atilla be absent from us." she said.
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