Giant gastric lipoma successfully removed by endoscopic submucosal dissection: case report and systematic review

Objectives: Gastric lipomas are rare adipose tumors that constitute less than 1% of gastric tumors. While lipomas generally do not need removal unless symptomatic, endoscopic resection has been proposed as safe for gastric lipomas smaller than 2?cm. Yet, there is no consensus on the optimal treatment method for larger lipomas. We report a case of a giant 7-cm gastric lipoma successfully removed by endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) and systematically review the literature for gastric lipomas removed by ESD.

Methods: Systematic review was conducted by searching PubMed and Scopus databases, up to 15 February 2018, using combinations of relevant terms.

Results: We report a 55-year-old male with known gastroesophageal reflux disease and asthma, who sought medical attention due to chronic heartburn and asthma exacerbations. These symptoms were attributed to a large 7?cm ×?3?cm gastric lipoma that caused gastric outlet obstruction. The lipoma was safely removed by ESD, allowing quick recovery and alleviation of symptoms. In our review, we identified 20 gastric lipomas treated with ESD, with 15 (75%) being 2?cm or larger. The average size of the lipomas was 4?cm (range: 1.2–9?cm). All lipomas were limited to the submucosa, with 80% of the tumors located in the antrum. Three lipomas were removed by submucosal tunneling. All tumors were successfully removed en bloc and no major complications were reported.

Conclusion: Our findings support the conclusion that ESD may be a safe alternative to conventional surgery for removal of large symptomatic gastric lipomas.