Loyola Medicine Thoracic Surgeon Treats Rare, Watermelon-sized Chest Tumor

MAYWOOD, IL – When Nicholas Pastuovic began experiencing fatigue and shortness of breath, doctors thought it might be long COVID. Instead, a CT scan revealed he had a rare malignant germ cell tumor (GCT) roughly the size of a small watermelon in the middle of his chest.

A biopsy confirmed it was a 15-centimeter GTC, a very rare and aggressive type of cancer that is more commonly found in the reproductive organs. Because GCT can be deadly, the team at Loyola worked quickly to develop a treatment plan. 

"At Loyola, we are lucky to have a multidisciplinary team that meets together under the same roof to discuss each patient individually," said Loyola Medicine's Chief of Thoracic Surgery Zaid Abdelsattar, MD. The team at Loyola created a personalized plan to treat the cancer and remove the mass.

The plan began with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, a specialized course of chemotherapy to shrink the tumor and make it easier to remove. This intense form of chemotherapy required Pastuovic to be hospitalized for six consecutive days on four separate occasions. This treatment took a significant toll on him both physically and emotionally, but Pastuovic was determined to stay positive for his wife and children.

"I don't know how I got through it, but I did," said Pastuovic. "The surgeons, nurses and staff were phenomenal, I owe my life to them. They were professional, compassionate, loving and just good at their job."

After four rounds of this chemotherapy, the tumor shrunk from a watermelon-sized mass to a more manageable size. "I knew it was shrinking by my second round of chemo because I could actually breathe," said Pastuovic. "It was so gradual I hadn’t realized how bad my breathing had been."

In January 2023, Dr. Abdelsattar determined the tumor was small enough to be removed. Because the GCT had invaded his lung, heart lining, and major blood vessels, the surgery took six hours. "I have dedicated my life and career to treating and curing cancers of the chest," said Dr. Abdelsattar. "In this day and age, we are able to do just that."

Pastuovic left the hospital within days of surgery and six weeks later he accomplished a goal he had set months earlier; he was walking on a beach in Florida with his wife. He remains cancer-free and was able to walk his daughter down the aisle at her wedding.

Watch more of Nicholas Pastuovic's story here: