An enormous benign primary retroperitoneal mucinous cystadenoma: a case report and literature review of a seldom seen abdominal pathology

Abstract

Introduction and importance: Retroperitoneal neoplasia comprise less than 2% of all tumours. benign primary retroperitoneal mucinous cystadenoma (PRMC) is an extremely rare tumour. Their clinical course is overall silent unless the patient presents with a vague abdominal or pelvic pain, abdominal distention, or a palpable mass. Their aetiology remains theorized and since 1989, only 46 cases (excluding ours) worldwide were documented in the literature. The majority of cases were discovered in females but the overall tumour incidence rate is still undetermined due to its rarity. Well-timed recognition of this pathology permits the necessary curative surgical intervention to take place. Case presentation: We hereby illustrate the rare case of a 23-year-old female who presented to the surgical clinic complaining solely of an unexplained gradual increase of the abdominal contour. Their presurgical radiological analysis yielded an intraabdominal large-sized well-demarcated retroperitoneal mass. Clinical discussion: Thorough resection of the mass was accomplished via open surgery. The subsequent microscopic analysis of excised tumour yielded the diagnosis of primary retroperitoneal mucinous cystadenoma of benign nature. Conclusion: Primary retroperitoneal mucinous cystadenoma is a seldom seen tumour. The scarcity of its occurrence is further highlighted by the published data. Based on their conclusive review of the available published English-based literature, ours is the 47th documented case of a benign PRMC and it is the first documented case from our country; Syria. The impact of these findings warrants raising awareness on the subject and considering PRMC as a differential diagnosis when presented with a similar case in the clinical practice.