Pancreatic carcinoma associated with portal vein tumor thrombus: three case reports

Pancreatic carcinoma associated with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) is rare. Here, we report three cases of resected pancreatic carcinoma associated with PVTT. In all three cases, preoperative images obtained using computed tomography and endoscopic ultrasonography revealed a tumor thrombus in the portal vein, which was connected to an irregular mass in the pancreas. All cases underwent surgical resection of the primary lesion and the PVTT. The pathological diagnoses of the tumors were two cases of tubular adenocarcinoma and one case of nonfunctioning endocrine carcinoma. We also retrospectively examined other patients who underwent surgical excision with portal vein resection.