India, April 27 -- Doctors at Safdarjung Hospital have successfully removed a record-sized adrenal tumour measuring 18.2 x 13.5 cm from a 36-year-old woman from Delhi using robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery, officials said. Performed entirely free of cost at the government-run hospital, the robotic adrenalectomy is being hailed as the largest such removal globally, with similar procedures in private hospitals costing between Rs.1.8 lakh and Rs.5 lakh.

The patient, suffering from persistent abdominal pain for months, was diagnosed only after scans at Safdarjung revealed the large tumour. The three-hour procedure was led by Dr Pawan Vasudeva, professor and head, department of urology and renal transplant. "The tumour had grown to t...