Solid-pseudopapillary tumor of pancreas

PubMed, the Internet portal of biomedical and life sciences literature, indexed an interesting article, entitled “Diagnosis and treatment of solid-pseudopapillary tumor of the pancreas.” (Hepatobiliary Pancreat Dis Int. 2006 Aug;5(3):454-8). Authors are Zhang H, Liang TB, Wang WL, et al., from the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China. Solid-pseudopapillary tumor (SPT) of the pancreas is a rare exocrine pancreatic tumor. Despite the increasing recognition of the tumor in recent years, its pathogenesis and apparent therapeutic algorithm remain unclear. The study was designed to define the clinical, imaging, and pathologic features and to improve the diagnosis and treatment of this rare disease. The clinical, imaging, and pathologic findings of 9 SPT patients managed in the hospital between 2001 and 2005 were retrospectively analyzed, and related literatures were reviewed. SPT exhibits unique clinical and pathologic features and is readily diagnosed by its characteristic imaging and histological appearance. Surgical resection of the primary tumor and metastases is the treatment of choice. To access the full abstract of the article, click here.