Noida, May 13 (IANS): Using robotic surgery, doctors here removed a muskmelon-sized adrenal tumour from a 59-year-old man, giving him a new lease of life.

Interestingly, the patient, Ajit Kumar Verma, showed no symptoms, and his tumour -- Adrenal Incidentaloma measuring 12x11.5 x 8 cm -- was detected incidentally during a routine ultrasound at Fortis Hospital Noida.

"Surgical removal is often necessary when these tumours exceed 4cm in size. These tumours are often highly vascular and pose surgical challenges due to their location near the spleen, pancreas, and kidney," said Dr. Piyush Varshney, Additional Director of Urology, at Fortis who used the da Vinci robotic system to tackle the challenging tumour.

"The da Vinci system's precision allowed us to successfully remove the entire tumour in under two hours with minimal blood loss, and we discharged the patient on the second postoperative day," he added.

Further, Dr. Varshney explained that an adrenal tumour is a growth on the adrenal gland located deep within the abdomen above the kidneys, near vital organs.

Approximately 70 per cent of adrenal tumours exceeding 4 cm in size are typically benign, while the remaining 30 per cent are malignant, indicating cancerous growth. These tumours are relatively prevalent, impacting up to 7 per cent of individuals aged 70 and above.

Although the precise causes remain elusive, genetic factors sometimes play a role in their development. The patient has been discharged and is doing well now, the doctor said.