Giant symptomatic pancreatic cyst mimicking a malignant tumor.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cystic lesions found in the literature are estimated between 2.6-19.6%. These neoplasms are almost exclusively benign tumors, and rarely become malignant. The aim of this paper was to report a feasible total pancreatectomy with portal resection in a giant pancreatic serous cystadenoma mimicking a malignant tumor.

CASE PRESENTATION: A healthy 52-year-old female patient presented to us with a giant pancreatic cyst with unknown preoperative diagnosis and a secondary dilatation of the Wirsung duct, and unclear vascular invasion. The imaging assessment was not conclusive for malignancy. Furthermore, it was decided to perform a total pancreatectomy with portal vein resection and splenectomy. The pathological findings revealed a microcystic serous cystadenoma of 10 cm with abundant myxoid stromal degeneration and focal papillary proliferation without atypia.

CONCLUSION: Unless the diagnosis of serous cystadenoma is certain, cystic tumors with inconclusive clinical and imaging features should be radically treated.