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Tennis ball-sized tumour removed from woman's heart

Abu Dhabi - The tumour led to severe episodes of rapid heart rate, heart attack, bouts of dizziness and fainting.

A woman suffering from a rare cancerous cardiac tumour was recently treated for free at an Abu Dhabi hospital, as part of the Year of Giving initiative.
Somalian national Safia Farah Jama, 61, had a tumour the size of a tennis ball removed from her heart valves, in a four-hour-long operation, said a doctor at Burjeel Hospital.
Professor Dr Walid Shaker, Consultant and Head of Department - Cardiac Surgery at Burjeel, told Khaleej Times that the patient was put on the priority list of free surgeries, as part of the hospital's commitment to provide 200 free cardiac surgeries throughout 2017. "The mass of the tumour was the size of a tennis ball, and it was affecting the functions of her heart," he added.
Dr Shaker pointed out that the tumour led to severe episodes of rapid heart rate, heart attack, bouts of dizziness and fainting. "Tumours that block blood flow can also cause heart failure, stroke and blood clots, which can be fatal."
He noted that after doctors investigated Jama's symptoms, they found that she had a rare malignant tumor in the left atrium of her heart - known as the left atrium myxoma. "The tumour was occupying the full captivity of the left atrium.
"The surgery was highly demanding and very complicated, because the tumour was attached to the mitral valve, which is difficult to remove without the risk of damaging an important valve."
Dr Shaker said the hospital receives around one similar case every three years, and more commonly in middle-aged women.
"The tumour put the patient's life at risk, so we had to help save her."
The free surgery was part of an initiative to support the decree passed by the UAE President, his Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, making 2017 the Year of Giving.
The larger focus for the hospital however, is to serve more cardiac patients that are facing financial troubles and perform 1,000 free surgeries in the next five years.
Jama, who was discharged after five days from the open-heart surgery, said she almost lost hope when she first heard about her rare diagnosis, but now she is "grateful for her second chance at life".
"My heart was failing, and I had given up hope because cardiac surgery is so expensive. Our family could not afford it," said the 61-year-old. "This was like an answer to our prayers."
jasmine@khaleejtimes.com