Primary retroperitoneal mucinous cystadenomas (RMCs) are very rare and their biological behavior and histogenesis remain speculative.An accurate preoperative diagnosis of these tumors is difficult because no effective diagnostic measures have been established.We describe a 29-year-old woman with abdominal pain and a palpable mass.Computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen revealed a retroperitoneal cystic mass which was resected successfully at laparotomy.Histopathological examination of the resected mass confirmed the diagnosis of RMC.There was no evidence of disease 2 years after surgery.