ObjectiveTo investigate the experience in the treatment of splnic malignant tumors with laparoscopy. MethodsThe clinical data of 51 patients with splnic malignant tumor who underwent splenectomy between January 2009 and July 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into two groups based on the surgical method: Open splenectomy (OS group, n=18) and laparoscopic splenectomy (LS group, n=33). The preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative data of the patients were collected and analysed, the differences of each index during perioperative period (general information), intraoperative data (operative time, estimated blood loss, the size of spleen, intraoperaive transfusion) and postoprative situation (hospital stays, the first oral intake, postoperative pancreatic fistula, rehaemorrhagia, abdominal infection or pulmonary infection and the like) were compared. ResultsLS group compared with OS group, the operative time of LS group was significantly shorter than that of OS group [(103.64±16.92) min vs. (144.44±31.10) min, P=0.000〕, the amount of bleeding of LS group [M (Q25, Q75): 60 (50, 100)〕was significantly less than the OS group [M (Q25, Q75): 150 (115, 210)〕, P=0.000. The hospitalization time of LS group was significantly shorter than the OS group [(13.61±9.91) d vs. (9.03±3.09) d, P=0.017〕, and the LS group has a lower indication of the postoprative complications of fever and pulmonary infection (P=0.010 and P=0.003). Conciusions Laparoscopic splenectomy is feasible in the treatment of splenic malignant tumors, the employment of laparoscopy can shorten the operative time, has the advantages of less bleeding, the shorten hospital stays, lower indication of postoprative complications, and being worthy of further popularization and application.