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Doctors claim to have removed the world's biggest cyst - weighing a massive 3.46st.

The giant cyst, which weighed more than a five-year-old child, was removed from an 18-year-old patient.

Surgeons removed the growth from Khalida Akhtar's ovary after she arrived at the hospital in Kashmir, a disputed region between India and Pakistan, complaining of discomfort and a severe abdominal pain.

Dr Malik Azad, who led the team which carried out the procedure, said: "The cyst must have been there for at least five to six months.

"It was massive and spread from pelvis to upper abdomen due to which her lungs were congested and she couldn't breathe properly."

(Image: Barcroft India)

He also revealed that, during the two-hour surgery, he feared Khalida might not survive.

And in an incredible show of generosity, the operation in the Indian-occupied part of the region was performed free of charge.

(Image: Barcroft India)

Dr Malik Azad said: "The cost of this surgery in a specialised hospital would have been at least 700 but we preferred doing it without any charges.

"The financial condition of the family is not good and they are barely able to pay for medicine."

(Image: Shams Ul haq Qari / Barcroft India)

Khalida's father, Mumtaz Ahmad Khan, said: "I borrowed most of the money from relatives and friends otherwise I wouldn't have been able to afford her tests and medicine, but the surgery was done for free.

"I am thankful to the doctors for all their help."