130 Lb. Tumor Removed From Man Who Was Told He Was Just Fat

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (CBS NEWS/AP) - A California doctor removed a 130-pound tumor from a Mississippi man who'd been told by other physicians he was just fat.

Roger Logan, 57, had the non-cancerous growth removed on January 31 at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital, where he will remain for another week or so before returning home.

The tumor probably started as an ingrown hair that became infected, swelled and developed its own blood supply, Logan's surgeon, Dr. Vipul Dev, told a local newspaper.

Logan says he first noticed the growth about 15 years ago, but doctors told him it was just fat, reports CBS television affiliate KBAK-TV. It kept getting larger until he couldn't get out of bed without help from his wife, the station says.

The tumor grew so massive that it hung to the floor when he sat.

"I used to equate it, you just put a strap around your neck and carry three bags of cement around with you all day long, just swinging," Logan said.

Virtually unable to move, he spent most of his time in a recliner in one room of his home.

By the time the tumor reached 130 to 140 pounds, doctors told Logan it was too risky for him to have surgery, giving him only a 50-percent chance of surviving it.

But his wife, Kitty, scoured the country for specialists to perform the operation and found Dev, who had performed similar surgeries.

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