Korean J Hepatobiliary Pancreat Surg.  2004 Sep;8(3):127-132.

Pathological Classification of Panaeatic Cancer and Precancerous Casion

• Jang KT

Abstract

The ductal system of the pancreas, which is responsible for carrying acinar secretion to the duodenum, is perhaps the smallest epithelial component of the pancreas. However, most pancreatic tumors are of ductal origin, and a majority of these are ductal adenocarcinomas. Pancreatic carcinomas of ductal type can be separated into several categories: 1. Conventional ductal adenocarcinoma (tumors that form small tubular glands with luminal and intracellular mucin and are associated with marked stromal desmoplasia). 2. Unusual histological patterns of conventional ductal adenocarcinoma (e.g., foamy gland pattern, large duct pattern, vacuolated pattern, lobular carcinoma-like pattern). 3. Other carcinomas of ductal origin (e.g., colloid carcinoma, adenosquamous carinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and undifferentiated carcioma). Most tumors in this last category usually have an associated component of conventional ductal adenocarcinoma, which provides evidence of their ductal origin. Precursors of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma have been recognized as proliferative epithelium of the ducts. Some lesions with minimal cytologic atypia were not regarded to be neoplastic and were designated hyperplasia or metaplasia, but molecular study revealed most ductal proliferative lesions as neoplastic. Thus the entire spectrum of ductal proliferative lesion is referred to as pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN).

Keyword

Pancreatic Neoplasms; Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal; Carinoma in Situ; Precancerous Conditions

MeSH Terms

Adenocarcinoma
Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous
Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell
Classification*
Duodenum
Epithelium
Hyperplasia
Metaplasia
Mucins
Pancreas
Pancreatic Ducts
Pancreatic Neoplasms
Phenobarbital
Precancerous Conditions
Mucins
Phenobarbital