Chinese doctors removed part of a patient's crippling 15 kg (33 lb) tumour mass drooping from his head and face on Tuesday, the biggest on record, and his condition was stable, doctors said.

Huang Chuncai, 31, from the southern province of Hunan, could hardly speak because the mass was so huge. His left eye was totally covered, his left ear hung down to his shoulder, and his right ear and jaw were engulfed.

Doctors removed the largest of the tumors in an operation that lasted one and a half hours.

"Medically speaking, Huang's condition is stable," the head of the surgical team said. "Until now the surgery has been very successful."

The fleshy tumour is about 57 cm (22.4 inches) long and has a 97 cm (38 inches) perimeter at its end. Huang stands 135 cm (4 ft 5 inches) high, hospital records show.

He lost his teeth at the age of 25, it said, and his backbone became malformed because of the weight.

An ultrasound of the tumour showed it was full of blood vessels, and the hospital said if surgeons were unable to staunch haemorrhaging for any reason, he could suffer fatal blood loss in two minutes.

"I was so nervous and felt so much pressure during my brother's operation," his brother Huang Weicai said.

"I wanted to pray, I was thinking about him all the time, I didn't know whether to stand up or sit down. When I saw that the tumour had been cut off I could relax. It was more than 10 kg, unbelievable.

"My brother's face weighed more than 15 kg. He has carried this tumour for more than 30 years. It's unimaginable."