Gastrointestinal stromal tumour of the stomach mimicking a hepatic tumour: a case report

BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal stromal tumours are the commonest mesenchymal tumours of the gastrointestinal tract. The stomach and small intestine are the favoured sites of occurrence. The symptoms of these depend on the site, size of the tumour and may include abdominal pain, gastrointestinal bleeding or signs of obstruction. We describe a woman with extra luminal gastrointestinal stromal tumour of the stomach that mimicked a left hepatic tumour presenting as an abdominal mass. CASE PRESENTATION: A 51-year-old woman presented with a history of increasing epigastric pain for two-months duration. Her contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the abdomen revealed a large mass in relation to left lobe of the liver. On laparoscopy there was a large tumour arising from the lesser curvature of the stomach. The tumour was resected and histology was suggestive of gastrointestinal stromal tumour. CONCLUSION: This case shows new evidence for the presentation of extra luminal gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumour that are very rare and can mimic hepatic tumour.