Gastric endocrine pancreatic heterotopia

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Surgical Pathology
• Endocrinology

Background:

• Heterotopic pancreas is an uncommon lesion, typically found in the stomach, with four recognized histologic types.
• Purely endocrine heterotopic pancreas is exceptionally rare, with limited detailed case reports.

Observation:

• A case of gastric endocrine heterotopia in a patient with gastric and duodenal ulcers is presented.
• The heterotopia lacked mass formation and exhibited histomorphologic and immunohistochemical features mimicking pancreatic islets.
• The diagnosis was supported by the absence of mass formation and specific immunohistochemical markers.

Findings:

• Purely endocrine heterotopic pancreas is a very rare entity.
• This condition can be mistaken for primary or metastatic neuroendocrine tumors.
• Distinguishing between these entities is crucial for accurate diagnosis and treatment.

Implications:

• Accurate diagnosis of purely endocrine heterotopic pancreas is essential to avoid misclassification as a neuroendocrine tumor.
• Proper specimen sampling, histomorphologic evaluation, and immunohistochemistry are critical for differentiation.
• This case highlights the importance of thorough pathological examination for rare gastrointestinal lesions.