A 12-year-old girl complained of abdominal pain and had sequelae due to a teratoma
Teacher Sarah Davis went through a distressing time when her daughter Ruby-Mae, aged 12 at the time, complained of abdominal pain in September 2019.
Initially worried about a possible pregnancy, Sarah rushed her to Cabarete Medical Center Hospital in the Dominican Republic. There, a CT scan revealed something unexpected: a teratoma, a rare germ cell tumor that can contain tissue such as teeth and hair.
Unlike most cases, Ruby-Mae’s teratoma was not detected at birth and grew without noticeable symptoms. Doctors suspected that the tumor began to develop in the uterus.
Although not cancerous, the tumor, which weighed around 3kg, the equivalent of a newborn, had grown so large that it caused the young woman’s appendix to rupture, a potentially fatal condition requiring emergency surgery.
“I couldn’t believe she had a tumor all these years. We had absolutely no idea or warning,” Sarah told the British newspaper. The sun.
The surgery was successful, despite the internal damage caused by the size of the tumor, and the child recovered quickly. Now 16 and tumor-free, Ruby-Mae has needed no further treatment since the operation.
Sarah hopes her daughter’s story will raise awareness of this rare type of cancer and encourage other parents to quickly seek medical help when faced with unusual symptoms.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
