Surgicel® (oxidized regenerated cellulose) granuloma mimicking local recurrent gastrointestinal stromal tumor: A case report

Unexpected clinical and/or imaging evidence of the recurrence of gastrointestinal stromal tumors soon after surgical resection may be complicated due to certain biological behavioral features of gastrointestinal stromal tumors. However, local hemostatic materials routinely used in abdominal surgery to achieve hemostasis intraoperatively may cause a foreign-body reaction, which appears to be indistinguishable from recurrent tumors in imaging studies. Thus, a second examination may be necessary to settle the true nature of the findings in such cases. If the resection and examination reveals a recurrent tumor, further proper oncological treatment is warranted, whereas if a foreign-body reaction is observed, radical or potentially harmful therapy may be withheld or cancelled. The present study retrospectively analyzes the case of an 83-year-old male patient who presented with a recurrent gastrointestinal stromal tumor four months after surgical resection, which was later identified as an intra-abdominal foreign-body granuloma caused by retained Surgicel® residue. The present study aimed to demonstrate why foreign-body granuloma induced by local hemostatic materials should be incorporated into the differential diagnosis of recurrent gastrointestinal stromal tumors post-operatively, particularly soon after surgical resection has been performed.