Doctors in Vietnam have removed a massive tumor from the kidneys of a child in what they said was a complicated operation.

Vu Thi Mai H., a six-year-old from Nghe An Province, was admitted to the Vietnam National Cancer Hospital in Hanoi suffering from a swollen abdomen, the hospital said Thursday on its website.

Doctors first said she had a retroperitoneal tumor.

But they later revised their diagnosis to a Wilms tumor after examining her symptoms and conducting further tests.

They all agreed to use chemotherapy for her before carrying out a surgery, which they said would be a complex case.

Wilms tumors normally respond well to chemotherapy but H.’s tumor just minimally shrank following the chemo treatment, with part of its center even becoming necrotic.

Doctors immediately operated on her.

A 2kg tumor, measuring 20cm in diameter, was then removed from H.’s kidneys after three hours.

She is in remission now, doctors said.

Many of such patients have been admitted to the hospital at late stages, with the tumor having metastasized to other organs, Hoang Manh Thang, one of the surgeons, said.

Early symptoms of this cancer include refusal to eat, chest pain, nausea, and difficulty breathing, the doctor pointed out.

These may indicate either common or serious health conditions in children, he added.

Wilms tumor is a type of childhood cancer that starts in the kidneys, according to the American Cancer Society’s website.

The society says it is the most common type of kidney cancer in kids, with about nine of ten kidney cancers in children being Wilms tumors.

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