title: Mimicking pancreatic malignancy: a systemic sarcoidosis.
abstract: Systemic sarcoidosis that initially presents as a pancreatic mass has rarely been reported. A 47-year-old man presented with idiopathic epigastric abdominal pain. Abdominal CT showed multiple enlarged lymph nodes in the retroperitoneal area and a suspected tumor mass in the pancreatic head region. The preliminary diagnosis was celiac metastasis of a pancreatic malignancy. The definitive diagnosis was systemic sarcoidosis, which was supported by granulomas on histology, clinical radiographic findings, and clinical response to steroids. A review of published reports on sarcoidosis presenting initially as a pancreatic or celiac mass from the Chinese biomedical database (1978-2010) is included.
authors.forename: Li-Na
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Qing-Liang
authors.initials: QL
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.affiliation: Prof. Jian-Xin Wang, The Respiratory Diseases Department,, Chinese PLA General Hospital,, 28 Fuxing Rd. 100853, Beijing, China, jianxinwang301@163.com.
authors.forename: Jian-Xin
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010182:Pancreatic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000175:diagnosis*