Spontaneous rupture of solid pseudopapillary tumor of pancreas: A case report and review of literature

INTRODUCTION: Solid pseudopapillary tumors (SPT) account for 1% to 3% of all pancreatic tumors. They have low malignant potential with a favorable prognosis, and predominantly occur in young women. The pathogenesis and clinical behavior of SPT are still uncertain. In addition, most ruptures of SPT were associated with blunt abdominal trauma, while spontaneous ruptures seemed to be quite rare. Up to now, there have been only 3 spontaneous ruptured SPT cases reported worldwide. PATIENT CONCERNS: Here, we reported a 22-year-old female patient with left lower abdominal pain. Computed tomography (CT) showed that a hemorrhagic complex solid cystic mass located in the lesser omentum sac. DIAGNOSIS: According to pathological findings of tumor specimen, the diagnosis of solid pseudopapillary tumor (SPT) of the pancreas was made. INTERVENTIONS: Distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy was carried out. OUTCOMES: The patient recovered to normal status within 10 days after surgery. CONCLUSION: Besides, we reviewed about 50 cases in literatures to find out the clinical characteristics and differential diagnostic strategies of SPT.