Resectable Pleomorphic Giant Cell Carcinoma of the Pancreas

We present a 72-yr-old woman who underwent surgical resection of a large pancreatic tumor. On preoperativeimaging, an intratumoral cavity containing necrotic tissue was noted, mimicking the appearance of acystic tumor. There was no invasion of adjacent organs nor distant metastasis, and histopathologic examinationrevealed the tumor to be a giant cell carcinoma. Postoperatively, the patient has been followed for 1.5 yrwithout evidence of recurrence. Giant cell carcinoma generally is associated with a poor prognosis, and patientsusually die within months despite intensive multimodality therapy. Some patients with giant cell carcinomas,however, achieve long-term survival when invasion of adjacent organs and distant metastases are absent. Surgicalresection is the appropriate treatment for tumors with these favorable characteristics.