Everyone thought that he had a beer belly, but it turned out to be a 77-pound cancerous tumor

For months, the Californian Hector Hernandez has seen his belly grow to the point of preventing him from bending over to tie his shoes. But What they all attributed to the belly of a "brewer" turned out to be an aggressive tumor weighing 77 kilos, the biggest one his doctors had ever seen.

"I just thought he was fat, I've always been a big guy," Hernandez said. The New York Times about this year and a half that he lived without knowing the true cause of his supposed fat, the time in which He heard all kinds of comments.

One day, in a warehouse, a man approached him, took his stomach and told him not to drink because it was not good for him. "I just laughed and told him I was not drinking.", concerns Time.

He also did not eat too much, but he tried a purely herbal diet to see if he could lower his belly. Everything was in vain. A little after It looked like a "beach ball" that bothered him even when he was sitting to work at his desk.

The 47-year-old was already suffering from constipation, heartburn and shortness of breath at that time. He therefore decided to consult a doctor who answered that "some people just put on weight in different ways".

But as his stomach was still heavy and firm to the touch, he decided to ask for a second opinion.

He had never imagined what the diagnosis would be: liposarcoma, a strange form of cancer that originated in fat cells and had become a giant tumor in his abdomen..

77 books, "the greatest thing I've seen," says Tseng in a New York Times interview explaining that usually these tumors weigh between 20 and 30 pounds.

So great that he had "swallowed" one of Hernandez 's kidneys that had to be removed during the six – hour operation. The good news is that the tumor has not spread to other organs.

But it is very likely that sarcoma will come back, even more aggressively. Doctors have not yet been able to understand why these types of tumors are of origin, how to prevent them and the only solution to cure them is surgery.

Hernandez is recovering and raising money to pay for medical expenses through a GoFundMe campaign.

This remains positive: "I feel good, I think I just have to strengthen myself"s & # 39; exclaims

Liposarcomas do not appear only in the belly. They can also form behind the knee or thigh and, less often, on the neck, vulva or underarms.

They are very rare. Its incidence is 1 per 100 000 people and usually affects adults between 40 and 60 years old.

Like Hernandez, most people with liposarcoma do not feel sick. The tumor (which can be firm or soft to the touch) is not painful. A physical exam is the first step to diagnose it.