A Benign Ulcerating Gastric Mass Presenting as Acute Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage

Gastrointestinal lipomas are rare, often colonic tumors. The stomach is an unusual site of involvement of lipomas, accounting for less than 5% of all gastrointestinal lipomas and less than 3% of all benign gastric neoplasms. They are usually asymptomatic, and symptoms develop as the tumor grows. Gastric lipomas can present with massive bleeding from an ulcerating tumor and can be life-threatening if left untreated. We present a case of an ulcerating gastric lipoma that presented as an acute upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage. The patient was treated with Billroth II procedure and final pathology showed an ulcerating submucosal lipoma. The diagnosis of gastric lipoma is often suspected incidentally on imaging, then confirmed via biopsy. Definitive treatment of large lesions typically requires surgery, however, newer endoscopic techniques are being utilized for resection of these benign tumors.