A man is recovering at home after surgeons removed a tumour the size of a football from his neck.
Milton Wingert, 81, had seen several physicians to ask about removing the tumour over the past six months, but most of them were concerned about its size.
Medics in New Jersey also believed the surgical removal was dangerous because of where the tumour was.
The man from Journal Square, New Jersey, was diagnosed with pleomorphic sarcoma six months ago.
He eventually referred to Dr. Nazir Khan, a head and neck surgeon at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York City, who realised it was possible to get rid of the tumour.
The pair had thorough conversations about the surgery, including potential complications.
“When I was referred the patient, the referring doctor sent me a clinical picture and picture of the MRI and my initial reaction was that’s a pretty massive tumour,” Dr. Nazir Khan said, according to Fox News .
The 81-year-old said several doctors had previously turned him away out of concern that removing the tumour could impact his carotid artery or clavicle.
He also added he was afraid to leave his house because he was "self-conscious" as he could not cover up the massive growth on his neck, the New York Post reports.
However Dr. Khan said he collaborated with other doctors at the New York hospital, including a thoracic and a vascular surgeon.
“We were all hands on board hoping for the best but anticipating the worst,” Khan said.
The surgery, which was a success, was performed on November 5 and took about seven hours, according to Mail Online .
Khan said the tumour he removed weighed between five and seven pounds.
"I'm happy for him, because I know that he was very scared before the surgery...it was a relatively quicker surgery than we anticipated, we didn't have to do a reconstruction, and he did well," the surgeon told CNN .
The patient was released from hospital yesterday, but the doctor said there were still microscopic pieces of cancer that will need to be treated separately from the surgery.
“I’m going to celebrate my 82nd birthday,” the retired electrician said.
“It’s a miracle.”
Mr Wingert is now recovering at home but will be facing chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy after Christmas.
