One man thought he had a beer belly, but it actually involved a 77-pound cancerous tumor

Although he does not drink beer, Hector Hernandez thought he had the belly for many years. According to a press release from the University of Southern California (USC), it was only when his arms began to dissipate and that his friends and family suggested he see a doctor that his bulging belly resulted from a cancerous tumor. .

Specifically, a hernandez has been diagnosed with retroperitoneal liposarcoma, a type of cancer that forms in the fat cells of a person, according to the Mayo Clinic.

"I was losing weight on my arms, my face, all over my stomach," Hernandez told INSIDER. "And I too was diabetic and I had high blood pressure." In addition to health problems, Hernandez said he had trouble doing normal tasks like tying his shoes or putting on his pants.

Hernandez underwent surgery to remove the tumor

Liposarcomas can be removed in different ways, including chemotherapy, but the majority, including that of Hernandez, are removed surgically, according to the National Rare Diseases Organization. Hernandez's tumor weighed 77 pounds and took six hours to remove, says the USC press release.

With a tumor of this size, surgical complications can include excessive bleeding, infections and organ failure, said Dr. William Tseng, Hernandez surgeon and internationally renowned sarcoma specialist, at INSIDER. "Often, to get them out, we have to harvest adjacent organs, not just the tumor," Tseng said.

For Hernandez, this also involved taking a kidney, but all cases are different, Tseng noted.

Liposarcomas can be difficult to detect on your own

Hernandez is not the first person to confuse an oversized mbad when it was something more. In December 2017, Kevin Daly learned that he was suffering from liposarcoma after losing 14 kg and that he was still hungry, already reported INSIDER.

In addition to the inability to lose abdominal mbad, other signs of sarcoma on the lips include abdominal pain and swelling, a feeling of satiety earlier than usual at the time of eating, constipation and blood in the stool of the affected person, according to the Mayo Clinic.

"It's important that patients experience the first signs of an illness, such as tiredness, unexpected weight loss, chronic pain, lack of appetite and, for sure, your body if you see something wrong. Asymmetric or poorly positioned, "said Julio Teixeira, Daly's surgeon. INSIDER in a previous interview.

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In the case of Daly, it took a CT scan to allow doctors to see the presence of a tumor after other doctors attributed their belly fat to a decrease in age-related testosterone, Insider Institute reported.

If you notice the symptoms mentioned above, you should immediately consult your health care provider and vouch for your health. "Looking back, I would have liked to go earlier," Hernandez told INSIDER. Now that the tumor has been removed, Hernandez has stated that he does not have diabetes.

To help cover the costs of surgery, Hernandez's friend has created a GoFundMe page where people can donate and offer words of encouragement after the surgery.

Follow-up appointments are essential, even if the liposarcoma has been completely removed during surgery

The quality of life of patients will increase immediately after removal of the tumor. But Tseng told INSIDER that it was important to get regular CAT exams to make sure growth would not come back.

"He is likely to return to the same place and then they can become more aggressive and spread," he said.

To ensure your body stays healthy and without liposarcoma, Tseng recommended that patients undergo health exams every two or three months, the first two or three years after surgery. After that, exams can be done every six months to a year.

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