Spontaneous splenic rupture after the start of lung cancer chemotherapy. A case report

Hamartoma of the spleen, first described by Rokitansky in 1861 under the name of "splenoma", is a rare benign lesion that is nearly always asymptomatic. Apart from the congenital forms there are also acquired forms of splenoma that are frequently associated with hematological diseases or solid tumors. We describe the case of a man suffering from splenoma who had a spontaneous rupture of the spleen with serious hemoperitoneum a few hours after the start of polychemotherapy for squamous cell lung cancer. The close temporal relationship with the event led us to suspect that the drugs used (cisplatin, vinorelbine and corticosteroids) could have played a causal role. From a review of the literature this seems to be the third case reported of spontaneous rupture of the spleen with hamartoma, and the first with the concomitant occurrence of lung cancer.