Doctors found a 60-kilogram tumor in the abdomen of a man described as ‘healthy’

Doctors were convinced a Norwegian man was just healthy for 12 years – but his growing belly was actually expanding with a 60kg malignant tumour.

He was diagnosed with obesity and even given Ozempic before the growth was discovered, leading to a 10-hour operation to remove it.

Thomas Kraut, 59, underwent the operation in Oslo, Norway, after his stomach kept getting bigger, with doctors initially convinced he was just overweight.

They sent him to weight loss and nutrition classes, according to reports, as the cancer grew inside him.

Kraut, originally from Germany, moved to Norway to work as an optician in 2008, while his wife, Ines, works in the health sector.

In 2011, he started having health problems, with his stomach getting bigger and bigger. He was first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and obesity in 2012.

But 12 years later, a doctor took a closer look as he prepared him for gastric sleeve surgery to treat his obesity. That’s when they realized that Kraut wasn’t just overweight, he had a giant malignant tumor growing inside him.

“My brach just kept getting bigger. I went from doctor to doctor and in 2019 I was finally approved for a gastric sleeve,” he said.

“Doctors have only talked about obesity and diabetes. I was given Ozempic for diabetes and before the gastric sleeve I had to take nutrition and fitness classes for several years.”

The doctor quickly realized that the hard surface of Thomas’s stomach was not thick.

“He crushed my stomach. It was firm and not soft, as is the case with fat,” said Kraut.

“Also, I had lost so much weight with the diet change and Ozempic that my face and arms were very thin. Only my belly was big. The doctor even said that I was actually malnourished.”

The doctor immediately ordered a CT scan which revealed the large tumor.

“It was a real shock to me,” Kraut admitted. “My kidney was affected because the tumor was feeding on my right kidney.”

It took doctors two weeks to diagnose Kraut with a rare fatty tumor that actually consisted of multiple smaller cancerous areas surrounded by fat.

Kraut underwent a 10-hour operation to remove the large tumor on September 26, 2023. After it was removed, it weighed 60.18 pounds (27 kilograms) and measured 20.59 inches (52.3 centimeters) in diameter.

It had caused significant damage to his body and part of his small intestine as well as his right kidney had to be removed, and he still has cancerous tissue growing inside him.

“I go to the psychologist for therapy every two weeks. I have to go to the oncologist twice a year because I still have tumor tissue inside me that is growing. They told me that it cannot be removed because it is connected to some organs,” he said.

Kraut and his wife have filed a lawsuit against doctors who failed to detect the large and potentially deadly tumor.

It was initially dismissed because the type of tumor is so rare that doctors said they could not be blamed for not detecting it.

His lawyer has already objected to the dismissal.

“My lawyer has made an objection. It’s going to work out somehow,” Kraut said.