Solid pseudopapillary tumor of the pancreas: case report and literature review

Solid pseudopapillary tumor of the pancreas is an epithelial tumor of low malignancy that primarily affects young women and represents approximately 1-2% of all pancreatic neoplasms. We present a case of this type of tumor treated in the General Hospital of Tijuana, Mexico, as well as a review of the literature.

We present the case of a 37-year-old female with symptomatology of early satiety and abdominal distension. During open cholecystectomy we found a tumor in the body of the pancreas. Biopsy was done, establishing the diagnosis of solid pseudopapillary tumor of the pancreas. The patient was treated successfully with distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy.

Solid pseudopapillary tumor of the pancreas is a rare neoplasm. It is more frequent in young women and has an unknown etiology. Clinical manifestations include abdominal pain, sensation of plenitude or early satiety, abdominal mass, nausea and vomiting. Laboratory tests are usually normal. Computerized axial tomography may show a large encapsulated heterogeneous mass. Diagnosis is established through biopsy and surgery is the best treatment for this pathological entity.

One may conclude that the solid pseudopapillary tumor is a differential diagnosis in the presence of pancreatic tumors, although due to its rarity it is not the first option to discard. Surgery represents the best treatment for this pathological entity and should be attempted in all cases, independent of the size of the pancreatic injury.