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Bolivian farmer's 14-year facial tumor removed in pioneering 3D-planned surgery
🇧🇴 Bolivia /Health & Science

Bolivian farmer's 14-year facial tumor removed in pioneering 3D-planned surgery

From El Deber · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • A Bolivian farmer with a 15x15 cm facial tumor, misidentified by some as a coca user, underwent successful surgery.
  • Doctors removed the benign but aggressive osteofibroma, reconstructing his face using 3D-planned surgery, a first for the region.
  • The 41-year-old patient endured 14 years of the growth, which increasingly limited his ability to eat before he sought specialized care.

Alejandro Pérez, a 41-year-old farmer from Bolivia, lived for 14 years with a large tumor on his face, enduring discrimination and misunderstanding from others who mistook his condition for drug use. The growth, an aggressive benign osteofibroma measuring approximately 15 by 15 centimeters, had begun to significantly impact his ability to eat.

They looked at him and thought he was chewing coca. A farmer arrived from San Julián with a disease that prevented him from eating and exposed him to discrimination.

— Article TextDescribes the initial perception and discrimination faced by the patient due to his facial tumor.

After years of seeking help, Pérez found a solution at the Montero Third Level Hospital. A team of four specialists successfully removed the tumor and reconstructed the affected part of his face. This complex surgery was notable for being the first in Montero and the northern Santa Cruz region to utilize virtual planning and 3D model printing.

From eating... and it bothers me.

— Alejandro PérezThe patient describes how the tumor's growth began to limit his daily life, specifically his ability to eat.

Pérez, originally from Potosí, had moved to San Julián in Santa Cruz and later worked as a miner before returning to agriculture. The tumor, which started as a small facial alteration about 14 years ago, accelerated its growth in the last two years, leading him to seek advanced medical care. The surgical team clarified that the condition was not caused by substance use and would not require chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

It is not a disease caused by the consumption of any substance and the injury did not require chemotherapy or radiotherapy afterwards.

— Jorge TórrezThe maxillofacial surgeon clarifies the nature of the tumor, dispelling misconceptions about its cause.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Deber in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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