Solid Pseudopapillary Neoplasm of the Pancreas: A Good Prognostic Tumor of the Bad Lucky Organ

Abstract

Introduction Solid pseudopapillary neoplasm (SPN) of the pancreas is a rare clinical entity with low malignant potential and good clinical prognosis. It was first defined by Frantz Virginia in 1959 and was renamed solid pseudopapillary tumor by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2010. SPN is more common in young women with an average age of 28-32 years and a female: male ratio of 3-10:1 in different publications. Material & Method The data were retrospectively analyzed for 26 patients whose pathology was compatible with SPN and operated on between 2003 and 2019 in the General Surgery Clinic at XXX. Results Of the patients, 25 (96.2%) were female and 1 (3.8%) was male; the mean age at diagnosis was 37.1 (range: 18-69, eight patients <30 years); mean body mass index was 28.8 kg/m2. The most common reason for referral was abdominal pain (n=13, 50%); three patients (11%) had nausea and vomiting, and one patient (3.8%) had jaundice with mass at the head of the pancreas. Ten patients (38%) were asymptomatic and were diagnosed incidentally during examinations performed for other reasons. The most frequent tumor localization was the head and neck part of the pancreas (n=10, 38%); eight patients (31%) had body, and eight patients (31%) had tail localization. Ten patients (38%) had Whipple procedure (pancreaticoduodenectomy), 15 patients (53%) had distal pancreatectomy, and one patient had intra-abdominal mass excision and segmental small bowel resection operation in addition to distal pancreatectomy. Six (37%) of the 16 patients who underwent distal pancreatectomy had splenectomy too. One of the patients had laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy. The mean tumor diameter was 7.2 cm (range: 2-23 cm). Conclusion SPN is a rare tumor, and even though it is diagnosed late and in large sizes, it has prolonged survival when appropriate surgical resection is applied. The ability to perform surgery even in cases with relapse or meta stasis during the SPN follow-up reveals the importance of accurate diagnosis.