REVIEW article
Front. Oncol.
Sec. Surgical Oncology
Pancreatic Cancer Complicated with a Giant Peritoneal Loose Body: Case Report and Literature Review
Provisionally accepted
Runjie Hou1,2
Mingyue Du3
Jing Guo1,2
Kaimeng Wang1Yuan Zhang1Yilong Wang1Pengcheng Liu1Fei Guo1
Jijun Wang1*- 1Baotou Central Hospital, Baotou, China
- 2Baotou Medical College, Baotou, China
- 3Xiwuzhumuqin Qi Hospital, Xilingol League, China
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This paper reports a case of an 82-year-old male with a giant peritoneal loose body (GPLB) complicated by pancreatic head cancer. The patient was admitted for upper abdominal pain and jaundice. CT revealed a 5.5 × 5.6 cm oval low-density mass on the right side of the pelvis with a central high-density calcified focus, initially diagnosed as a gastrointestinal stromal tumor. During surgery, a yellow free mass measuring 6 × 6 × 5 cm was found in the pelvic cavity; pathology confirmed that it was a peritoneal loose body. Grossly, it was yellow and ovoid, with central calcification on the cut surface; microscopically, necrotic adipose tissue and hyalinized collagen fibers were visible. Meanwhile, we comprehensively reviewed and analyzed 32 previously reported cases of GPLB, summarizing the disease characteristics, clinical manifestations, formation mechanisms, diagnostic approaches, and treatment strategies. We propose a hypothesis-generating observation that abnormal liver and kidney function may accelerate the growth rate of giant peritoneal loose bodies. We also recommend that surgical removal be performed regardless of whether symptoms are present, with laparoscopy as the preferred procedure. This study aims to improve clinicians' understanding of this disease and reduce misdiagnosis.
Keywords: diagnostic and therapeutic strategy, differential diagnosis, Giant peritoneal loose body, laparoscopic surgery, Pelvic tumor
Received: 13 Aug 2025; Accepted: 14 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Hou, Du, Guo, Wang, Zhang, Wang, Liu, Guo and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jijun Wang
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