1. Cystic pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms with uncertain malignant potential: Report of two cases.
- Author
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Roberto Ballarin, Michele Masetti, Luisa Losi, Fabrizio Di Benedetto, Stefano Di Sandro, Nicola De Ruvo, Roberto Montalti, Antonio Romano, Gian-Piero Guerrini, Maria-Grazia De Blasiis, Mario Spaggiari, and Giorgio Gerunda
- Subjects
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NEUROENDOCRINE tumors , *PANCREATIC tumors , *DIAGNOSTIC use of tumor markers , *PANCREATECTOMY , *HISTOLOGY , *DUODENECTOMY - Abstract
Abstract  Neuroendocrine tumors of the pancreas (NETP) represent only 1%â2% of all pancreatic neoplasms. They can be classified as functioning or non-functioning, respectively, according to the presence or absence of paraneoplastic syndrome. Case 1 concerned a 70-year-old woman with a cystic lesion of the pancreatic head and body. All tumor markers were negative. The patient underwent a distal pancreatectomy. The histology revealed a well-differentiated endocrine tumor with uncertain malignant potential. Case 2 was a 61-year-old man with chronic polyserositis. The serum tumor markers were negative, while he was strongly positive for intracystic tumor markers carcinoembryonic antigen, carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19â9, and CA 125. The patient underwent a cephalo-pancreatic duodenectomy. The preoperative differential diagnosis of cystic NETP is still a challenge due to the high rate of the nonfunctional variant. Although cystic NETPs are well differentiated, they are still tumors with a malignant potential, and therefore an early diagnosis and radical surgical resection could be associated with a better long-term survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2009
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