Six-Year-Old Chinese Boy's Throat Tumour Diagnosed as Teratoma After Initial "Twin Brother" Theory
Medical experts refute social media speculation linking the mass to an absorbed sibling, clarifying teratomas grow from patient's own cells
Quick Look
- A six-year-old Chinese boy, Xiaoliang, was found to have a teratoma in his throat after his mother took him for examination due to heavy snoring and difficulty eating.
- Doctors at Fudan University Children's Hospital in Shanghai discovered the egg-sized tumour contained fat and cartilage.
- While some media initially likened it to an "undeveloped twin brother," obstetrics and gynaecology experts refuted this, stating teratomas grow from the patient's own cells, not absorbed siblings.
AI-generated summary
A six-year-old Chinese boy was diagnosed with a lump in his throat, which doctors initially said was his "twin brother". The youngster, Xiaoliang, had been snoring heavily for the past six months, and only ate soft food. His mother, surnamed Liu, found it odd and took him for a medical examination. Their local hospital said he had an egg-sized tumour in his throat, adding that they could not treat the disease. Liu then took Xiaoliang to the Children's Hospital of Fudan University in Shanghai. There, an ear, nose and throat specialist, Chen Chao, made a further diagnosis. Chen said the "tumour" was a teratoma with fat and cartilage. According to the Shanghai Media Group, Xiaoliang's teratoma was initially likened to an "undeveloped twin brother". However, the theory was immediately refuted by some medical experts on social media. An obstetrics and gynaecology expert said a teratoma is different from an absorbed sibling. "Although some teratomas have hair, teeth and fat, they are grown from the patients' own cells," the expert said.
