Clinical analysis of surgical management for cystic neoplasms of pancreas

Park, Keun Hong; Kim, Sang Geol; Moon, Deok Bok; Park, Jong Hun; Hwang, Yun Jin; Yun, Young Kook

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Cystic neoplasms of pancreas comprise pathologically heterogeneous groups of tumors with many shared clinical features. Although relatively uncommon, they have a very important place in the surgical pathology of the pancreas because of their high cure rate and their potential confusion with far more common pancreatic pseudocysts.
METHODS
We analysed clinical features of 23 patients with pancreatic cystic neoplasm that we treated within 8-years` period (13 women, 10 men, mean age; 47.2 years old) The cystic neoplasms of pancreas comprise 5 serous cystadenoma, 3 benign mucinous cystic tumor, 3 borderline malignancy of mucinous cystic tumor and 4 mucinous cystadenocarcinoma, 4 papillary cystic tumor, 1 cystic teratoma, 1 cystic mesothelioma, 1 lymphoepithelial cyst. 1 mucinous ductal ectasia.
RESULTS
Mean tumor size was 6.8cm(3 to 15cm). 73.9 percent had abdominal pain and 26.1 percent had abdominal mass. Computed tomography, ultrasonography and MRI were useful in detecting cystic mass in all cases but was not reliable to distinguish serous from mucinous tumor, benign from malignant. For the treatment of the tumor, 17 distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy, 1 distal pancreatectomy with spleen preserving, 1 proximal pancreatic resection, 2 local excision of pancreas and 1 PPPD were performed. During the period of follow up (mean: 29 months) after surgical resection, 1 recurrence occurred in the patient who underwent local excision for mucinous cystic tumor showing borderline malignancy on histologic finding. All the patients are alive except 2 patients who were lost to follow-up.
CONCLUSION
Pancreatic cystic neoplasms are rare and their prognosis are acceptable when they are treated early and properly. So early detection and surgical treatment is the mainstay of management of cystic neoplasm of pancreas.