title: Autoimmune pancreatitis mimicking cancer of the head of pancreas: report of two cases.
abstract: Autoimmune pancreatitis has been characterised in 1995, but only a few cases have been published since then, most of them from Japan. This report describes the cases of two Belgian male patients who presented with isolated obstructive jaundice. Radiological imaging studies were highly suggestive of carcinoma of the head of pancreas and both patients underwent uneventful cephalic pancreaticoduodenectomy with portal vein resection. Pathological analysis of the removed tissues suggested an autoimmune process in both cases. Both patients had hyper-gammaglobulinemia and antinuclear antibodies, but failed to show evidence of any other autoimmune disease or cause of chronic pancreatitis. In both cases final diagnosis was autoimmune pancreatitis. Preoperative clinical suspicion of this diagnosis is mandatory and may avoid unnecessary surgery in future cases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University Hospital of Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Servais
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Pestieau
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Detry
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Honoré
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Belaïche
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Boniver
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jacquet
mesh_terms: D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D002760:Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010179:Pancreas / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed