Clues for diagnosing primary pancreatic lymphoma

Primary pancreatic lymphoma (PPL), a localized lymphoma in the pancreas, accounts for <0.5% of all pancreatic masses and presents with symptoms favoring the more common adenocarcinoma. It is important to differentiate PPL from adenocarcinoma since treatment and prognosis differ considerably. PPL is potentially curable with chemotherapy, especially if it is diagnosed at early stages. A definitive diagnosis can only be based on histopathological findings. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-guided FNA) is a reliable, minimally invasive and cost-effective method for this purpose. Even though there are neither typical clinical features nor specific biomarker for the diagnosis of PPL, certain common presentations have been observed which may indicate PPL. We herein present the case of a 43-year-old man who was successfully diagnosed with PPL by EUS-guided FNA. His clinical, laboratory and radiographic findings supported PPL over adenocarcinoma as well. This case demonstrates that high clinical suspicion based on clinical, laboratory and imaging features is critical in PPL diagnosis and management.