[Pancreatic carcinoma in chronic pancreatitis]

Chronic pancreatitis and carcinoma of the pancreas are being diagnosed with increasing frequency throughout the world. When both occur together, the question of their causal relationship arises. Secondary chronic pancreatitis following carcinoma of the pancreas is relatively frequent and can be proven histologically in at least 10% of pancreatic cancers. How often primary chronic pancreatitis develops into carcinoma is controversial. So far, there are only a few prospective clinical studies of chronic pancreatitis which cover this problem. We have followed 146 cases of chronic pancreatitis for an average of 8.7 years. Two thirds of our patients show pancreatic calcifications. Our series includes a family with congenital pancreatic insufficiency. So far only one adenocarcinoma of the head of the pancreas has been diagnosed in a 58-year-old male. Another 57-year-old male patient died from a solid metastatic carcinoma, probably of pancreatic origin. Therefore, the incidence of pancreatic cancer in our series is 0.7 and 1.4% respectively. However, 8 more patients suffering from extrapancreatic malignancies have turned up during the follow-up period: 2 cancers of the tongue, 2 colonic carcinomas, 2 bladder papillomas, and 1 bronchial and 1 gastric carcinoma. Our studies indicate that carcinoma of the pancreas probably does not occur more frequently in chronic non-hereditary pancreatitis than in the average population. A review of the literature suggests that there may be a higher incidence of carcinoma in families with hereditary chronic pancreatitis. The frequency of extrapancreatic cancer in our patients is remarkable. As pancreatic carcinoma is rare in chronic pancreatitis there is no reason for early aggressive surgery, e.g. pancreatectomy, in these patients.