Staff Reporter

A team of surgeons at Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital has successfully removed a massive 9.3 kg tumour from a 34yearold patient, Ms. Sharon Dube, in a complex procedure carried out last week.

The fastgrowing growth had forced Ms. Dube to deliver her baby prematurely at 34 weeks of gestation.

The operation was led by Dr. Tendai Chikore, the hospital’s senior gynaecologist, who said the size and speed of the tumour’s development posed a severe threat to both mother and child.

“Removing a mass of this magnitude, especially immediately after a preterm delivery, carries significant risks. I am grateful to our entire theatre team for their skill and dedication; both mother and baby are now stable,” Dr Chikore explained

Hospital administrator Mr. Augustine Moyo praised the surgical team’s efforts as a landmark achievement for the provincial facility.

“This successful operation demonstrates that Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital is increasingly capable of handling complex cases that once required transfer to larger urban centres,” he said.

Ms. Dube reported experiencing increasing abdominal discomfort and rapid enlargement over recent months, but it was only when routine prenatal scans detected the abnormal growth that hospital staff moved swiftly to intervene.

Following the caesarean delivery of her daughter, Ms. Dube was taken directly to theatre, where the multidisciplinary team worked through a fourhour operation to excise the tumour.

Both mother and child remain under close observation in the hospital’s maternity and neonatal wards, where they continue to respond well to treatment. Pathological analysis of the tumour is ongoing, although preliminary findings suggest it was benign.

Medical experts have urged women to attend all recommended prenatal checkups, stressing that early detection of unusual growths can greatly improve outcomes.

Regular monitoring during pregnancy, they say, is key to identifying and managing potential complications before they become lifethreatening.