Complexities of Diagnosing and Treating a Mesenteric Cyst in a Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia Patient

Mesenteric cysts are a rare nosologic entity, the diagnosis of which is complex due to their nonspecific presentation. They may emerge from any part of the mesentery and grow to any size, thus conditioning a wide range of clinical manifestations that renders them easily mistaken for different gastrointestinal pathologies. Diagnosis encompasses a mixture of clinical suspicion, imaging techniques and sometimes surgery, and curative treatment is based on complete surgical resection of the cyst. We hereby present a case of a mesenteric cyst that developed on the anterior abdominal wall of a 59-year-old man awaiting allogeneic bone marrow transplantation after being diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia. He was admitted to the emergency room with complaints of an increased abdominal perimeter and increased weight, not associated with alterations to his dietary or physical exercise habits. Suspecting ascites in the context of leukaemic progression, the patient was admitted to the medical ward; however, subsequent study identified a mesenteric cyst as the most probable diagnosis and the patient was proposed to undergo surgery. He underwent laparotomic cyst excision without complications and the histological evaluation of the surgical specimen confirmed the diagnosis. LEARNING POINTS: Although rare entities, mesenteric cysts should be suspected whenever nonspecific gastrointestinal symptoms are present and liquid collections are identified. Treatment consists of complete surgical excision, which, although not free of complications, is usually safe and the recurrence rate is very low. In light of the lymphatic theory with respect to the aetiology of mesenteric cysts, this nosologic entity should be highly suspected in oncologic patients where lymphangiogenesis is potentiated.