Pancreatic tumors in children: diagnosis and treatment / 中华肝胆外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To study the strategies in the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic tumors in children.Methods:The clinical data of 18 children with pancreatic tumor managed at the Children's Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University from March 2015 to September 2020 were retrospectively studied. There were 8 males and 10 females, age ranged from 3 months to 14 years and 11 months, with a median age of 8 years and 2 months. Clinical data including age, gender, pathological data, surgical methods, chemotherapy, tumor location and treatment outcomes were collected. Follow-up was conducted by outpatient visits and by telephone.Results:Abdominal ultrasound, enhanced CT and/or MRI examinations were performed on all these patients, with findings of either a cystic or solid lesion of pancreas. All patients were treated by laparotomy under endotracheal intubation and general anesthesia. The operations were all completed successfully. Among the 18 patients, there were 11 patients with solid pseudopapillary tumors and 7 patients with pancreatoblastoma (PBL). The tumors were located in the head of the pancreas in 13 patients (including 3 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy, 1 patient who underwent resection of the head of the pancreas with preservation of the duodenum, and 9 patients who underwent resection of the tumors). The tumors were located in the body and tail of the pancrease in 5 patients (including 3 patients who underwent resection of the body and tail of the pancreas with preservation of spleen, and 2 patients who underwent resection of tumors). Because of huge tumors, 1 patient had bilateral lung, left supraclavicular fossa lymph node and retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis, 3 patients were confirmed to have PBL by biopsy, and these tumors were resected completely after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Postoperative pathology showed that all the 3 patients had PBL and were given systematic chemotherapy. Postoperative pancreatic fistula occurred in 1 patient and chylous fistula in another patient, both were discharged home successfully after conservative treatments. All patients were followed-up for 2-7 years, and all children were tumor-free.Conclusion:It is not difficult to diagnose pediatric pancreatic tumors by ultrasound, CT and MRI before operation, and postoperative pathology was needed to confirm the diagnosis. Function-preserving surgical resection was the treatment of choice for pancreatic tumors in children.