Cytologic findings in noninvasive intraductal papillary-mucinous carcinoma of the pancreas. A report of two cases.
BACKGROUND
Intraductal papillary-mucinous carcinoma of the pancreas is a new diagnostic term proposed by the 1996 World Health Organization classification of the exocrine pancreas. So far, there have been only a few reports concerning its cytologic findings, especially in noninvasive cases.


METHODS
The clinical and cytohistologic findings in two cases of noninvasive intraductal papillary-mucinous carcinoma of the pancreas were reviewed. Cytologic specimens were obtained from pure pancreatic juice in the dilated main pancreatic duct during the operation (case 1) and during endoscopic retrograde pancreatography (ERP) (case 2). Both cases showed three-dimensionally or individually scattered tumor cells with an increased nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio and prominent nucleoli.


CONCLUSIONS
Our cases suggest that pancreatic juice cytology during ERP or surgery is useful in diagnosing pancreatic cancers and that it may detect noninvasive intraductal papillary-mucinous carcinoma of the pancreas.
Shimizu
M
M
Department of Surgical Pathology, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan. mshimizu@med.hokudai.ac.jp
Hirokawa
M
M
Manabe
T
T
Mikami
Y
Y
Kanahara
T
T
Miyake
Y
Y
Iwamoto
S
S
Tsunoda
T
T
D002288:Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D000368:Aged; D002285:Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed