A Norwegian man dismissed as fat for over a decade had a 60-pound tumor in his stomach.
Thomas Kraut, 59, spent 12 years struggling with his weight and as his stomach grew larger, doctors assumed he was just obese and enrolled him in weight loss and nutrition courses.
Dr Kraut, an optician who is from Germany but moved to Norway in 2008, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2012, leading him to eventually be prescribed the diabetes-turned-weight-loss-drug Ozempic.
He said: ‘In addition, I had lost so much weight with the change in diet and Ozempic that my face and arms were very thin. Only my stomach was huge. The doctor even said that I was actually malnourished.’
Thomas Kraut (pictured here), 59, noticed his stomach ballooning over 12 years before doctors realized he had a massive tumor
It took 10 hours to remove Dr Kraut’s (pictured here after surgery) tumor, and he still has cancerous tissue in his abdomen
In 2023, Dr Kraut was about to undergo gastric sleeve surgery, which involves removing a large portion of the stomach, when doctors realized the hard surface of his stomach wasn’t fat.
A CT scan revealed a massive tumor measuring 20 inches and weighing over 60 pounds lodged in his abdominal cavity.
Dr Kraut said: ‘It was a real shock for me.’
He is now suing the doctors who failed to detect the cancerous mass for more than a decade.
It took doctors two weeks to diagnose him with a rare fatty tumor made up of smaller cancerous areas, which were surrounded by fat.
The specific type of mass is unclear. It had also spread to his right kidney and parts of his small intestine.
On September 26, doctors spent 10 hours removing the tumor, along with Dr Kraut’s kidney and a portion of his small intestine. Though the tumor was removed entirely, doctors were unable to take out all of the cancerous tissue from Dr Kraut’s body.
The massive tumor, shown here just before removal, weighed 60 pounds and measured 20 inches in diameter
Dr Kraut, pictured before and after the operation, is now suing doctors for failing to find the tumor sooner
A portion of malignant tissue remains in his abdomen, which doctors said is too dangerous to remove due to pressing on several vital organs.
Dr Kraut said: ‘It was a relief to have the tumor removed, but knowing that I still have some cancerous tissue inside me is unsettling.
‘I go to a 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.’
Dr Kraut and his wife, Ines, are now suing the doctors who failed to detect the tumor for so long, claiming that he could have been fully treated if it was found earlier.
Though the lawsuit was initially dismissed, Dr Kraut’s lawyers have filed an objection.
Dr Kraut said: ‘It will work out somehow.’
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