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This article reviews the types of pancreatic cysts encountered in Radiologic practice. It summarizes the malignancy risk of each of the following: serous cystadenoma, mucinous cystic tumor, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm main duct and side branch, and some miscellaneous cysts such as neuroendocrine tumor and solid pseudopapillary epithelial neoplasm. Specific reporting recommendations are given. The choice between radiology follow-up versus endoscopic analysis is discussed., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background and Aims: Pancreatic cancer incidence and mortality among patients with pancreas cysts are unclear. The aims of this study are to evaluate incidence of pancreatic cancer and cause-specific mortality among patients with pancreatic cysts using a large national cohort over a long follow-up period., Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of US Veterans diagnosed with a pancreatic cyst 1999-2013, based on International Classification of Diseases, 9th edition (ICD9) coding within national Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) data. Pancreatic cancer incidence was ascertained using VA cancer registry data, ICD-9 codes, and the National Death Index, a national centralized database of death records, including cause-specific mortality., Results: Among 7211 Veterans with pancreatic cysts contributing 31,501 person-years of follow-up (median follow-up 4.4 years), 79 (1.1%) developed pancreatic cancer. A total of 1982 patients (27.5%) died during the study follow-up period. Sixty-three patients (3.2% of deaths; 0.9% of pancreas cyst cohort) died from pancreatic cancer, but the leading causes of death in the cohort were non-pancreatic cancer (n = 498, 25% of deaths) and cardiovascular disease (n = 398, 20% of deaths)., Conclusions: Pancreas cancer incidence and pancreatic cancer-associated mortality are very low in a large national cohort of VA pancreatic cyst patients with long-term follow-up. Most deaths were from non-pancreas cancers and cardiovascular causes, and only a minority (3.2%) were attributable to pancreas cancer. Given death from pancreas cancer is rare, future research should focus on identifying criteria for selecting individuals at high risk for death from pancreatic cancer for pancreatic cyst surveillance., (© 2021. This is a U.S. government work and not under copyright protection in the U.S.; foreign copyright protection may apply.)

Objectives: To evaluate the value of MRI in differentiating benign (b-MCN) and malignant (m-MCN) MCN. European guidelines suggest that certain mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCN) of the pancreas can be conservatively managed., Methods: A retrospective single-center study of consecutive patients with resected MCN. MRIs were independently reviewed by two readers blinded to the pathological results. The authors compared b-MCN (i.e., mucinous-cystadenoma comprising high-grade dysplasia (HGD)) and m-MCN (i.e., cystadenocarcinoma)., Results: Sixty-three patients (62 women [98%]) with 63 MCN (6 m-MCN, 2 HGD) were included. m-MCN tumors had a tendency to be larger than b-MCN (median 86 [25-103] vs. 45 [17-130] mm, p = .055). The combination of signal heterogeneity on T2-weighted imaging, wall thickness ≥ 5 mm, the presence of mural nodules ≥ 9 mm, and enhancing septa had an area under the ROC curve of 0.97 (95% CI 0.91-1.00) for the diagnosis of m-MCN. A total of 24 (37%), 20 (32%), 10 (16%), 5 (8%), and 4 (6%) out of 63 MCNs showed 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 of these features, respectively. The corresponding rate of m-MCN was 0%, 0%, 10%, 20%, and 100%, respectively, with a good-to-excellent inter-reader agreement. Patterns with a high NPV for m-MCN included an absence of enhancing septa or walls (NPV 97% and 100%, respectively), wall thickness < 3 mm (NPV 100%), and no mural nodules (NPV 100%)., Conclusions: A combination of 4 imaging features suggests malignant MCN on MRI. On the other hand, visualization of a thin non-enhancing wall with no mural nodules suggests benign MCN., Key Points: • A heterogenous signal on T2-weighted MRI, a ≥ 5-mm-thick wall, mural nodules ≥ 9 mm, and/or enhancing septa suggest malignant MCNs. • A thin non-enhancing wall with no mural nodules suggests benign MCNs. • MRI should be performed in the pre-therapeutic evaluation of MCN to help determine the therapeutic strategy in these patients., (© 2021. European Society of Radiology.)

We correlate the cytologic and histologic features of a squamous-lined pancreatic cystic lesion with a complex papillary architecture and an associated KRAS mutation, which to our knowledge has not been previously described. A 69 year-old woman presented with intermittent left upper quadrant pain. CT imaging revealed a 1 cm solid lesion in the pancreatic tail with peripheral calcification. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle biopsy showed a proliferation of epithelial cells with fibrovascular cores. An immunohistochemical stain for p40 was positive in the lesional cells. A distal pancreatectomy revealed a unilocular, cystic, well-circumscribed, soft and friable mass measuring 1.0 × 1.0 × 0.8 cm. Histologically, the cyst was lined by nonkeratinizing stratified squamous epithelium with a complex papillary architecture, filling the cyst lumen. Molecular sequencing revealed a KRAS G12V missense mutation. While the lesion shared some histologic features with the previously described "squamoid cyst of the pancreatic ducts", the complex papillary architecture and presence of a KRAS mutation are unique to the entity we describe herein and we propose the name "intraductal papillary squamous neoplasm of the pancreas." Reporting the cytomorphologic features of this novel entity may help in identification of similar lesions and understanding of the clinicopathologic significance., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The differential diagnosis of pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs) is an increasingly common clinical challenge. Confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) may differentiate PCLs by imaging of the cyst wall. However, clinical experience is still limited, and better image definition and characterization of the cyst wall in a spectrum of cysts are needed. This experimental study aimed to expose detailed imaging characteristics of PCLs by CLE., Methods: Patients who underwent surgery of a PCL were enrolled. During surgery, intravenous fluorescein (2.5 ml of 10%) was injected just prior to the ligation of blood vessels supplying the pancreas. The freshly excised specimens were transected along the long axis to fully expose the luminal surface. A Gastroflex-UHD CLE probe (pCLE) was used manually to acquire images directly from the surface of cyst wall. The specimen subsequently underwent cross-sectional histology. All recorded data were analyzed by two investigators for predefined and original image findings of PCLs., Results: Ten cases were recruited into the study. All patients underwent surgery because of a mucinous cyst with worrisome features or a symptomatic PCL. Imaging was successful in all patients and differently shaped papillary projections (PP) were visualized in eight patients. Pathological examination of those patients confirmed 6 cases with Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm (IPMN) and 2 cases with Mucinous Cystic Neoplasm (MCN). In two patients with serous cystadenoma, typical vascular network was visualized in one patient, and microcystic structures in the other. Three of the IPMNs were malignant. The loss of papillary margin integrity and significant fragmentation together with irregularity was detected in malignant IPMNs by CLE., Conclusions: Pancreatic cyst epithelial wall can be visualized successfully by pCLE in ex vivo surgical specimens. Different papillary projections have been seen in all cases of IPMNs and MCNs. CLE has potential for identifying IPMN subtypes and for grading dysplasia.

Background: The accurate diagnosis of cystic neoplasms of the pancreas (CNP) with current diagnostic methods is limited. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided needle-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (nCLE) is a new technique which can obtain images from the cyst wall during EUS-fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA). The aim of this study was to assess the safety, feasibility, and diagnostic value of nCLE for CNP., Methods: Patients who underwent EUS-FNA to evaluate a CNP larger than 2 cm were enrolled. The cyst was punctured with 19-G FNA needle preloaded with an nCLE probe. The images from different areas of the cyst wall were recorded. Using the final diagnosis defined by surgery or EUS-FNA cyst fluid analysis, the accuracy of the confocal images was defined., Results: The procedure and image acquisition was successful in 18 of the 20 patients. Predefined typical structures for mucinous cysts were visualized in 8 of 12 (66%) cysts but none of the non-mucinous cysts. The superficial vascular network which is a typical finding of serous cysts was observed in 2 of 3 patients. The sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of the findings of epithelial structures by nCLE were 66, 100, and 80%, respectively, for a mucinous cyst diagnosis. All patients tolerated the procedure well, and no adverse effects were determined., Conclusion: nCLE was found to be safe and feasible with high technical success, in this pilot study. With an overall accuracy of 80%, it has the potential to contribute to the diagnosis of CNP with specific imaging.

Abstracts of the oral and poster presentations and video festivals presented at the 26th World Congress of the International Association of Surgeons, Gastroenterologists and oncologists (IASGO) that will be held on September 8-10, 2016 in Seoul, South Korea are presented.