Papillary cystic neoplasm of the pancreas. Two cases treated by surgery

The papillary cystic neoplasm of the pancreas is a rare tumor. Two cases are presented, one of a 38-year-old man and the other of a 23 year-old woman. Both had mild upper abdominal symptoms and were successfully resected with a distal pancreatectomy. Forty-five well documented cases informed in the literature are reviewed. The neoplasm has a striking preference for young women and a relatively benign course with only 10% of the reported cases presenting recurrence or distant metastases.