Inflammatory myofibroblastic pancreas tumor: a case report

Comments and illustrations of the European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine guidelines: Rare pancreatic tumors, ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound features-Malignant mesenchymal tumors

Rare malignant mesenchymal pancreatic tumors are systematized and reported in this review. The focus is on the appearance on imaging. The present overview summarizes the data and shows that not every pancreatic tumor corresponds to the most common entities of ductal adenocarcinoma or neuroendocrine tumor.

Immunoglobulin G4-Negative Inflammatory Pseudotumors of the Pancreas

Inflammatory pseudotumor (IPT) can occur in any organ, but rarely shows pancreatic involvement. While surgical excision has been recommended as the primary treatment for IPT of the pancreas in the past, some authors suggest observation while medical management often results in regression. Corticosteroids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and immunosuppressive therapy have been used to treat IPTs. Spontaneous regression has also been reported in IPT managed without surgical intervention. A 62-year-old female was evaluated for worsening abdominal pain and a mass in the neck of the pancreas that was identified on ultrasound. Further imaging with magnetic resonance imaging revealed a pancreatic mass with dilated pancreatic duct and an atrophic parenchyma of the pancreatic neck. Her serum tumor markers were not elevated. As this lesion appeared to be resectable pancreatic cancer based on cross-sectional imaging, no biopsy was performed prior to surgical resection. Distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy was recommended and the patient desired to proceed. Her recovery was uneventful with no postoperative complications, including pancreatic fistula. Final pathology revealed a lesion consistent with the diagnosis of immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4)-negative IPT without neoplasm. IPT of the pancreas is a difficult entity to diagnose and treat due to clinical and imaging characteristics closely resembling pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Biopsy with immunohistochemical analysis can be useful in diagnosing IPT; however, symptomatic lesions and concerning findings on cross-sectional imaging may warrant more definitive surgical intervention.

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of the pancreatic neck: A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND

Pancreatic inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is a relatively rare disease that is often confused with pancreatic cancer or pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. The histological features of IMTs show that tissue from this type of tumor contains an intermingling of fibroblast and myofibroblast proliferation, accompanied by a varying degree of inflammatory cell infiltration.

CASE SUMMARY

The management of an IMT occurring at the neck of the pancreas is presented in this paper. A 66-year-old female patient was diagnosed with a pancreatic neck mass after a series of tests. The patient underwent enucleation of the pancreatic neck tumor after a pathological diagnosis of IMT. Previous research on the clinical features, pathological diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic IMTs was reviewed. Compared with previous reports, this is a unique case of enucleation of a pancreatic IMT.

CONCLUSION

The enucleation of pancreatic IMTs may be a safe and efficient surgical method for managing such tumors with a better prognosis. Further cases are required to explore surgical measures for pancreatic IMTs.

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors arising from pancreas head and peri-splenic area mimicking a malignancy

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors (IMTs) are a rare chronic inflammatory disease with unclear pathogenesis and pathological features that are not those of a malignant tumor. It is difficult to differentially diagnose them without surgical excision because of their unpredictable clinical behavior, which ranges from benign to locally invasive aggressiveness. We report two cases of IMTs that were diagnosed after surgery. In one case, the IMT originated in peri-splenic area in a 63-year-old female patient. The other case involved a 48-year-old female patient who suffered from an IMT of the head of the pancreas. Both of these cases did not require further treatment based on histological findings, and there has been no evidence of recurrence or metastasis so far. These cases show that the primary choice for the exact diagnosis and proper treatment of IMTs is complete surgical resection.

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor in the pancreatic neck: a rare case report and literature review

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is a rare disease of unknown etiology. It usually occurs in abdominal soft tissues and lung, and is extremely rare in the pancreas. IMT can occur in any part of a person at any age, however, it mostly affects children and young people. Its clinical manifestations are atypical, imaging examinations are not specific, and the differential diagnosis of pancreatic malignancies is difficult, making it easily misdiagnosed. Surgical resection is the preferred method of treatment for IMT. In this case report, we report a rare case of IMT in the neck of the pancreas and reviewed the relevant literature. In our case, the patient was a 57-year-old woman with an IMT in the neck of the pancreas. Abdominal pain was the only clinical symptom, and imaging features were not specific. She underwent surgery to remove the pancreatic mass, and the final diagnosis of IMT was based on histopathology and immunohistochemistry. After 6 months of regular follow-up, the patient had no complications or further incidents. The purpose is to emphasize the difficulty of the preoperative diagnosis of pancreatic IMT and the difficulty of distinguishing it from pancreatic malignancies. It is hoped that clinicians can gain a deeper understanding of pancreatic IMT through this case report.

A Pancreatic Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor with Spontaneous Remission: A Case Report with a Literature Review

The inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is a rare tumor that can develop in any systemic organ. Its features are generally benign, but it often resembles malignancies and is treated surgically. Our patient was an 82-year-old female complaining of abdominal discomfort. Computed tomography demonstrated a 5 cm, ill-enhanced mass at the pancreas head. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed a duodenal submucosal tumor with apical erosion. Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) demonstrated a heterogeneous, low-echoic pancreas mass without clear margins. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) demonstrated spindle myofibroblastic tissues with lymphoplasmacyte and eosinophil infiltration, confirming an IMT diagnosis. Surprisingly, the tumor spontaneously regressed in one month without medication. Histological diagnosis using EUS-FNAB is essential for the rare pancreatic solid tumor like IMT.

A 17-Year-Old Girl With Weight Loss and Elevated Inflammatory Markers

A 17-year-old girl presented to her primary care physician with a history of unintentional weight loss and vague sensory symptoms, including tingling of her lower extremities. She had a nonrevealing neurology workup and a largely normal rheumatology workup apart from mild elevation in her inflammatory markers. She also had a nonfocal examination apart from a posterior cervical lymph node (2 × 1 cm). Given that she was well appearing, with a nonfocal examination and only mild laboratory abnormalities, she was told to follow-up with rheumatology in 3 months. Around that time, she re-presented to her medical home for a well-child visit, during which she was noted to have continued weight loss, now amounting to 17 lb in 1 year, and marked further elevation in her inflammatory markers. Her laboratory results were also significant for a profound microcytic anemia requiring inpatient admission for blood transfusion. During her admission, she was seen by the rheumatology, gastroenterology, and oncology subspecialty teams. Despite imaging studies and extensive laboratory workup, there was no unifying diagnosis at the time of her hospital discharge. Ultimately, an outpatient imaging study revealed the etiology.