A local hospital received a female patient suffering from giantism, which has made her 10 centimeters taller than Yao Ming, the Shanghai Evening Post reported Thursday.

The tallest woman in Asia, Chinese Yao Defen (C), arrives to Rujin hospital in Shanghai to get a medical check and to have an operation, as part of a charity project, arranged by a British production crew, May 17, 2006. Yao is 34 years old and 2.36 meters tall. [Reuters]

Although unrelated, the woman surnamed Yao shares the same family name as the famous basketball giant. However, she is 2.36 meters in height and 180 kilogram in weight. She has been suffering from the disease for 20 years.

Yao cannot live by herself because of her growth hormone surfeit, which leaves her with a constantly growing body and several fatal diseases, like brittle bones and diabetes.

"I had an operation done in my hometown once, and they were able to remove most of my pituitary tumors," recalled Yao sadly. "At first it stopped my abnormal growth, but afterwards, my arms and legs began getting bigger and bigger."

Prof. Ning Guang, Yao's doctor, has three different treatment plans for her, including surgery, special medications and a radiation treatment.

"We will determine which treatment will be best after her final examination is complete," said Ning. "But it may be a little difficult to fit her into the nuclear magnetic resonance machine, which is designed for normal-figured patients."

Yao can lie down, sit up and walk only with the help of three or four nurses from the hospital.

She, however, is still confident that the treatment she is receiving in the hospital will work and she is very optimistic about her future.

The growth hormone surfeit typically takes place during youthhood. The chance of being diagnosed with the rare disease is one in a million.