Victim Chen Zongtao, 29, lives in a remote Chinese village and hasn’t been able to afford medical help. The growth first started on his left foot when he was two years old. But it soon spread across to his right leg and engulfed it. Over the years, it has ballooned in size to weigh more than 70KG.

Doctors at the hospital in Changsha, central China’s Hunan province, have been probing the tumour this week. Zongtao is said to be suffering from neurofibroma – a usually-benign tumour originating in nerves.  It is not yet clear when medical teams plan to take action on the growth, but due to circumstance the leg will probably amputated soon as the situation of the patient deteriorates.

the sun