Solid Pseudopapillary Neoplasm of the Pancreas: A Single-Center Experience of a Rare Neoplasm

Solid pseudopapillary neoplasm (SPN) of the pancreas is an extremely rare pancreatic exocrine tumor. The study aims to report our experience with the SPN of the pancreas.

A retrospective analysis of the prospectively maintained database was carried out of all the cases diagnosed and treated as SPN between January 2019 and January 2023. Patient characteristics including age, gender, clinical presentation, laboratory examinations, imaging features, surgical details, and histopathological and immunohistochemistry details were analyzed.

During this period, eight cases were diagnosed with SPN. All patients were female with a median age of 25.75 years (range 14-55 years). All cases presented with pain in the abdomen, and four patients had a mass per abdomen. In all the cases, contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) abdomen was done for the diagnosis and had preoperative suspicion of the pseudopapillary tumor. In four cases, the tumor was located in the head region, while in four cases, the tumor was in the body and tail of the pancreas. The median size of the tumor was 12 cm (range 3.5-15 cm). Three cases underwent Whipple's procedure and one patient was unresectable. Two out of four patients with body and tail tumors underwent distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy, one underwent spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy, and one patient underwent central pancreatectomy.

SPN is a rare neoplasm that primarily affects young women. Clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical features are diagnostic. Surgical resection is generally curative with a good long-term outcome.