title: Multicenter study of serous cystic neoplasm of the Japan pancreas society.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There have been only a few reports on follow-up results of serous cystic neoplasm (SCN) of the pancreas. The frequency of malignancy and surgical indication of SCN are not determined yet.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this multi-institutional study of the Japan Pancreas Society, a total of 172 patients with SCN were enrolled. The mean follow-up period was 4.5 years. Surgical resection was performed in 90 patients, whereas the remaining 82 were simply observed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of all patients, 20% were symptomatic. The tumor was located in the pancreatic head (39%), body (35%), and tail (22%). The mean diameter of the tumor was 4.1 cm. None of the patients showed distant or lymph node metastasis except for liver metastasis found in 2 patients (1.2%). No patient died during the follow-up. The preoperative diagnosis did not correctly identify SCN in 57 (63%) of 90 resected cases. A honeycomb appearance, which is one of the most characteristic findings of SCN, could be diagnosed better by endoscopic ultrasonography than by other imaging diagnostic modalities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Surgical resection should be considered only when clear distinction from other surgical diseases is difficult, when symptoms or mass effects are present, and when the tumor size is large.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Surgery (Gastroenterological, General, Breast and Thyroid Surgery), Yamagata University Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata, Japan. wkimura@med.id.yamagata-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Wataru
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Moriya
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hirai
authors.forename: Keiji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hanada
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yanagisawa
authors.forename: Noriyoshi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fukushima
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ohike
authors.forename: Michio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hatori
authors.forename: Naotaka
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Maguchi
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamao
authors.forename: Tamito
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Yoshiki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Naito
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tanno
authors.forename: Kosuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tobita
authors.forename: Masao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanaka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018291:Cystadenoma, Mucinous / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D018293:Cystadenoma, Serous / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010180:Pancreatectomy; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D016577:Pancreaticoduodenectomy; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D013156:Splenectomy; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D047368:Tumor Burden; D057832:Watchful Waiting; D055815:Young Adult