BENGALURU: Sampath, a 47-year-old from Bengaluru, who was the sole bread winner of the family, had to quit his job after his health started to deteriorate. Initially in 2018, Sampath started to have frequent bouts of weakness and bone pain along with difficulty in walking, and was wrongly diagnosed for ankylosing spondylitis (type of arthritis) over one-and-half years, while it was actually a nasal tumour that was causing all the difficulties.
There are only 17 recorded cases of this condition around the world and Sampath’s case highlights that tumour can be a challenging diagnosis. For one-and-half year, Sampath had a series of misdiagnoses at a couple of hospitals and clinics in Bengaluru, where he was treated for ankylosing spondylitis. However, he showed no response to the treatment.
All through this time, Sampath suffered from multiple fractures, severe pain, and could not walk without a walker. He also had low levels of calcium, phosphates and vitamin D. Then came a point where the medicines and injections stopped working and he had to quit his job.
But yet, the doctors could not pinpoint the problem. As a last resort, Sampath went to HCG Cancer Hospital and experts there asked him to undergo a PET CT scan. The scan showed a rare tumour in his nasal area.
Dr Gaurav Medikeri, Programme Director of Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery at HCG Cancer Hospital, Bengaluru, said, “The tumour was secreting a hormone known as Fibroblast Growth Factor 23 (FGF 23), which systematically lowers the levels of calcium, phosphates and vitamin D.” The experts decided to go for minimally invasive surgery involving endoscopy, but it was very challenging as the tumour had eroded the bone between his nose and eye and was stuck to the muscles of his eyeball.
“With the help of advanced equipment, the tumour was gently peeled off the eye muscles without damaging them and removed through the nose uneventfully,” said Dr Medikeri. Sampath then had a fast recovery and can now walk by himself, the hospital says.