NEW YORK, April 30 (RIA Novosti) - U.S. surgeons in Miami have removed a massive tumor from the face of a 15-year-old Vietnamese girl in an operation that lasted for 12 hours, national media said on Wednesday.
The sixteen pound tumor, the largest ever recorded, had been growing on Lai Thi Dao's face since she was three and covered the lower part of her face, accounting for one-third of her body weight.
Doctors said the growth had threatened to prevent Dao breathing. "At this point the tumor is growing back into the throat," said Dr. Jesus Gomez before the surgery.
After recovering from the operation, which cost over $100,000, Dao should be able to eat and speak normally, as well as go to school, doctors said.
