Doctors save life of Emirati boy who had lemon-sized tumour in his nasal cavity

Nine-year-old had been having breathing difficulties while he slept

Ibrahim, aged nine, celebrates with his father Abdulla Al Awadi and doctors after a 60g tumour was removed from his nasal cavity. Photo: Medcare

Doctors in Sharjah saved the life of a nine-year-old boy when they removed a tumour the size of a lemon from his nasal cavity.

The child, called Ibrahim, was experiencing difficulties breathing when he slept, so his father took him to hospital, where it was revealed the boy had a condition called Juvenile Nasopharyngeal Angiofibroma (JNA).

Ibrahim underwent an emergency operation to remove the 60g tumour, which was growing towards his eye socket, threatening his sight.

If the procedure had not gone ahead then, Ibrahim could have either bled to death or been permanently blinded, the leading surgeon told The National.

“There was a risk he could have bled to death or lost his vision and become blind,” said Dr Narayanan Janakiram, a specialist in ear, nose and throat and skull base surgeon at Medcare Hospital Sharjah.

“There was a very large tumour encroaching on his eye and his brain from his nasal area. It was around the size of a lemon.”

Dr Janakiram performed laser surgery to break the tumour into smaller parts which were then removed through Ibrahim's mouth.

The removal led to a sudden surge of bleeding from the tumour site which had to be stemmed.

Dr Janakiram said JNA usually affected boys and young men aged between 10 and 20, though in rarer cases it can be found in boys as young as seven.

Relief for family

While JNA tends not to cause cancerous tumours, it can be highly aggressive and can damage the eye socket, skull, brain and sinuses – which was the case with Ibrahim.

The operation, which took place in October, was deemed a complete success, but was nerve-racking for Ibrahim's family.

“We are overwhelmed by the care and expertise we received at Medcare Hospital Sharjah,” said the boy's father, Abdulla Al Awadi.

“Our gratitude knows no bounds for the team that gave our child a second chance at life.

“Ibrahim’s condition is significantly better than it was a month ago.”

Mr Al Awadi said he was so worried about his son that he lost 5kg from stress.