Boy Has Successful Surgery On ‘Frank The Tumor’

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A 9-year-old boy who named the growth on his brain “Frank the Tumor” has said goodbye to most of his unwanted companion.

David Dingman-Grover underwent surgery Wednesday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Most of the growth was removed, and tests will be done to see if the tissue is malignant.

Afterward the surgery, David was awake and talking. Doctors say they’re thrilled the two-hour procedure went so well.

"We accessed the tumor using the advanced fiber optic technique through the nose, and we met Frank—so to speak—eyeball to eyeball,” said the surgeon, Dr. Hrayr Shahinian, who volunteered to perform the surgery free of charge.

The Sterling, Va., boy had named the tumor after Frankenstein’s monster. His mother raised funds for medical bills by selling “Frank Must Die” bumper stickers on the Internet.

The tumor was discovered in 2003 and was the size of a grapefruit, interfering with David’s sight, squeezing his carotid artery and giving him headaches. But chemo and radiation shrunk it to the size of a peach pit before this week’s surgery.

The biopsy tissue will show if the tumor is dead or continues to grow. Preliminary results are expected Friday, with permanent pathology out next week. Depending on the results, David may have to have one more round of chemotherapy.

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