[Solid and cystic-papillary tumor of the pancreas]

Solid and cystic-papillary tumour of the pancreas is a rare neoplasm. About 420 cases seem to have been reported as yet. It appears almost exclusively in young women, although it may appear in males in all ages. This is a tumour of benign or low malignant potential with vary rare invasion of surrounding tissues and organs. Metastases of the tumour are rare. Local recurrence after surgical excision is also rare. About 50% of patients have no symptoms. The others may have upper abdominal pain or palpable abdominal mass. Complications such as rupture, bleeding or secondary infection, are rare. The average size of the tumour is cca 10 cm in diameter. The tumour is more frequent in the body and tail of the pancreas. New imaging techniques make diagnosis of the tumour very easy, but exact diagnosis is based on histological findings. Surgical excision is the treatment of choice. We report on a 23-year-old woman with a two-year history of upper abdominal pain and occasional fever, in whom ultrasonographic and CT scan examinations revealed a well defined mass of 5 cm in diameter. The mass was excised with limited resection of the pancreas along with removal of the spleen which was adherent to the mass so that it could not have been saved. Histological findings established a solid and cystic-papillary neoplasm of the pancreas. The recovery was uneventful. The patient was symptom-free, with normal clinical findings and laboratory results.