Giant Tumor Successfully Removed

A woman was reported in stable condition Thursday after doctors removed a 176-pound benign tumor in an eight-hour operation. Lucica Bunghez “felt free after the tumor was removed,” said Dr. Ioan Lascar, who teamed with Dr. McKay McKinnon, a plastic surgeon from Chicago, and 12 other doctors in Wednesday’s operation. It took less time than expected because the tumor was symmetrical, allowing for two teams of surgeons to work simultaneously, he said. Bunghez, 46, suffered from neurofibromatosis, or NF, a progressive disorder of the nervous system that causes disfiguring tumors to form on nerves throughout the body.