Pancreatic tumors in children

Pancreatic tumors rarely present in childhood. Diagnostic difficulty and inappropriate treatment may occur due to the variable clinical appearance of the illness. A 26-year audit (1968-1994) at this institution showed five patients ranging in age from 5 to 14 years who were operated upon for pancreatic tumors, four of which were malignant. In two cases primary resection of the tumor was possible and in the remaining three, after establishing the histopathologic diagnosis, chemo- and radiotherapy were used. Three of the five children are still alive; the mean follow-up was 9 years.