Clinical aspects of the cystic tumors of the pancreas confirmed by operation / 대한내과학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Cystic tumors of the pancreas are uncommon, and frequently mistaken for pancreatic pseudocysts. Recently if the patient is a good surgical candidate and is symptomatic, resection is the treatment of the choice without the cytological and chemical analysis by the fine needle aspiration. But, we have no data in Korean population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the subclassification of the cystic tumors of the pancreas and the differential points between pancreatic pseudocysts and cystic tumors of the pancreas which had to be operated. METHODS: fifty-nine patients with cystic lesions of the pancreas have been operated at the Samsung Seoul Hospital from 1994 to 1999 and evaluated about the subclassification, frequency and the difference between pseudocysts and cystic tumors retrogradely. RESULTS: There were 14 mucinous cystic neoplasms (mucinous cystadenomas : 11 cases, mucinous cyst-adenocarcinomas : 3 cases), 10 serous cystadenomas, 9 solid and papillary epithelial neoplasms, 8 intra-ductal papillary mucinous neoplasms, 5 pseudocysts, 4 retention cysts, 3 endocrine tumors, 1 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma with cystic change, 1 solid pseudopapillary tumor, 1 pancreatic ductal adenocarci-noma with pseudocyst, 1 cavernous lymphangioma, 1 lymphoepithelial cyst and 1 simple cyst. 57.6% of the patients were females and the mean age was 50.0 years (16 years-77 years). The characteristics between pseudocysts and cystic tumors of the pancreas (sex differentiation, mean age, previous history of alcohol drinking and pancreatitis, communication with the main duct on the pancreatogram and the sign of the pancreatitis on the radiologic study) had no differences. CONCLUSION: We conclude there were no other methods to differentiate accurately the pseudocyst from the cystic tumor of the pancreas other than the operation.