Incidental Cystic Lesions in the Pancreas: Resect? EUS? Follow?

Tailored surgery in chronic pancreatitis after implementation of a multidisciplinary team assessment; a prospective observational study

INTRODUCTION

Optimal management of chronic pancreatitis involves several specialties. Selection of patients for surgery may benefit from evaluation by a multidisciplinary team (MDT), similar to cancer care. The aim of this study was to evaluate outcomes in patients selected for surgery after MDT decision.

METHODS

A prospective, observational study of consecutive patients operated for pain due to chronic pancreatitis after implementation of a MDT. The main outcome was Quality of life (QoL) assessed by EORTC-QLQ C30 and pain relief in patients followed >3 months. Complications were registered and predictive factors for pain relief analyzed.

RESULTS

Of 269 patients evaluated by the MDT, 60 (22%) underwent surgery. Postoperative surgical complications occurred in five patients (8.3%) and reoperation within 30 days in two. There was no 90-days mortality. Complete or partial pain relief was achieved in 44 of 50 patients followed >3 months (88%). Preoperative duration of pain predicted lower probability of success. Postoperative improvement in QoL was most prominent for pain, appetite and nausea.

CONCLUSIONS

After MDT evaluation, one in five patients was selected for surgery. Pain relief was obtained in a majority of patients with improved QoL. A tailored approach through a MDT seems warranted and efficient.

Updates in diagnosis and management of pancreatic cysts

Incidental pancreatic cysts are commonly encountered with some cysts having malignant potential. The most common pancreatic cystic neoplasms include serous cystadenoma, mucinous cystic neoplasm and intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm. Risk stratifying pancreatic cysts is important in deciding whether patients may benefit from endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) or surgical resection. Surgery should be reserved for patients with malignant cysts or cysts at high risk for developing malignancy as suggested by various risk features including solid mass, nodule and dilated main pancreatic duct. EUS may supplement magnetic resonance imaging findings for cysts that remain indeterminate or have concerning features on imaging. Various cyst fluid markers including carcinoembryonic antigen, glucose, amylase, cytology, and DNA markers help distinguish mucinous from nonmucinous cysts. This review will guide the practicing gastroenterologist in how to evaluate incidental pancreatic cysts and when to consider referral for EUS or surgery. For presumed low risk cysts, surveillance strategies will be discussed. Managing pancreatic cysts requires an individualized approach that is directed by the various guidelines.

Etiologic Distribution of Pancreatic Cystic Lesions Identified on Computed Tomography/Magnetic Resonance Imaging

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to determine the distribution of etiology of pancreatic cysts using established criteria/markers from cyst fluid analysis and cytology that have been reported to have high specificity in published literature.

METHODS

A retrospective study of pancreatic cysts using an endoscopic database from March 2002 and May 2013 was conducted. Pancreatic cysts <10 mm and cysts with a history of pancreatic cancer were excluded.

RESULTS

In our cohort of 758 patients with pancreatic cyst(s), the cyst etiology was as follows: mucinous cyst/side-branch intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (SB-IPMNs)/mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCN; 48.2%), pseudocyst (27.6%), serous cystadenoma (11%), simple cysts (6.4%), mucinous cystadenocarcinoma (5.1%), and other (1%). Approximately 41% (n = 310) of the cysts were ≥3 cm in size and included the following: pseudocyst (39.7%), mucinous cysts/SB-IPMN/MCN (28.1%), serous cystadenoma (16.7%), mucinous cyst adenocarcinoma (9.7%), and simple cyst (4.8%). In 118 patients with a known history of acute pancreatitis, the cyst diagnoses included pseudocyst (68.7%), mucinous cyst/SB-IPMN/MCN (18.6%), benign/simple cyst (7.6%), and mucinous cystadenocarcinoma (2.5%).

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with cystic pancreatic lesion noted on cross-sectional imaging, approximately half of the patients have lesions without malignancy or malignant potential and therefore not requiring surveillance. Endoscopic ultrasound/endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration evaluation of the pancreatic cysts can help optimize their further management.

Serous Cystic Neoplasms of the Pancreas: Endoscopic Ultrasonographic Versus Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Features of Surgically Removed Masses

Our purpose was to assess the endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) features of serous cystic neoplasms (SCNs) of the pancreas in determining the surgical removal compared with computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features. For 33 consecutive patients with 34 surgically confirmed SCNs over the past 11 years, preoperative EUS features were compared with those of CT and MRI (CT&MRI). Besides the lesion size and location, a retrospective analysis of the various imaging features was performed by 2 observers to understand the characteristics that determine the need for surgical intervention in terms of multiplicity of locules, calcification, mural thickening, mural nodules, ductal communication, and main pancreatic duct dilatation in addition to the gross morphologic type: microcystic, macrocystic (>1 cm), mixed, or solid. The most common gross morphologic type was mixed lesions, which consisted of microcystic and macrocystic components (15/34; 44%), followed by microcystic (38%), macrocystic (15%), and solid (3%) lesions. A minority (5/34; 18%) of the lesions showed main pancreatic duct dilatation (upstream, n = 3; downstream, n = 0; diffuse, n = 2). Mural nodules or solid components were more frequently noted in EUS (67%) than in CT&MRI (25%; P = 0.001), whereas other findings showed no remarkable difference between EUS and CT&MRI (P > 0.05). In determining the surgical treatment of multiloculated cystic lesions, interpretation of EUS features for the presence of solid component or mural nodules should be more carefully determined, especially in the patients with suggestive features of SCN on CT or MRI to avoid unnecessary surgery.

EUS Morphology Is Reliable in Selecting Patients with Mucinous Pancreatic Cyst(s) Most Likely to Benefit from Surgical Resection

Background and Study Aims

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) surveillance of patients with mucinous pancreatic cysts relies on the assessment of morphologic features suggestive of malignant transformation. These criteria were derived from the evaluation of surgical pathology in patients with pancreatic cysts who underwent surgery. Reliability of these criteria when evaluated by EUS in identifying lesions which require surgery has still not been established.

Patients and Methods

This retrospective cohort study included seventy-eight patients who underwent surgical resection of pancreatic cysts based on EUS-FNA (fine-needle aspiration) findings suggestive of mucinous pancreatic cysts with concern for malignancy.

Results

Final surgical pathology diagnoses of patients were the following: adenocarcinoma (19), intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) (39), mucinous cystic neoplasm (MCN) (13), serous cystadenoma (2), pseudocyst (3), mucinous solid-cystic lesion of indeterminate type (1), and mesenteric cyst (1). Cysts with focal wall thickening ≥ 3 mm (p = 0.0008), dilation of pancreatic duct (PD) (p = 0.0067), and cyst size ≥ 3 cm (p = 0.016) had significantly higher risk of adenocarcinoma. None of the patients without any of these morphologic features had cancer.

Conclusions

In patients with mucinous pancreatic cyst(s), focal wall thickening, cyst size ≥ 3 cm, and PD dilation as assessed by EUS can help identify advanced mucinous cysts which require surgery and should routinely be evaluated during EUS surveillance.

Risk of pancreatic cancer in patients with pancreatic cyst

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Certain pancreatic cysts (mucinous cystic neoplasm and side branch intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm [IPMN]) have malignant potential and require surveillance. However, whether patients with pancreatic cysts have a higher long-term risk of pancreatic cancer (PaCa) has still not been established.

METHODS

This was a retrospective study of Veterans Administration patients. Patients noted to have pancreatic cysts on CT/magnetic resonance imaging (n = 1050) were identified using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes. Patients aged <15 years (n = 425), patients with <1 year of follow-up (n = 13,259), and patients diagnosed to have PaCa within 1 year of identification of a pancreatic cyst (n = 102) or within 1 year of follow-up in the remaining patients in the database (n = 200) were excluded. Patients with pancreatic cystic lesions (group A, n = 755) and the remaining patients in the database without cysts (group B, n = 520,215) were followed from 1998 to 2007.

RESULTS

During the study period, in group A and B PaCa was diagnosed in 17 and 1206 patients, respectively, and the incidence rate of PaCa was 5.08 and .32 per 1000 patient-years, respectively. The hazard ratio of PaCa in all patients with cysts was 19.64 (95% CI, 12.12-31.82; P < .0001) when compared with the rest of the patients without cysts. In the subset of patients with cysts, without a history of acute or chronic pancreatitis (n = 241), the hazard ratio of PaCa (n = 5) was 18.80 (95% CI, 7.80-45.31; P < .0001).

CONCLUSION

Patients with pancreatic cysts have a significantly higher overall risk of PaCa. The etiologic distribution of cysts in our study patients is not available. Patients with mucinous cystic neoplasm and side branch IPMN are likely to have a higher risk of PaCa than our estimation of risk based on all etiologies.

Current perspectives on pancreatic serous cystic neoplasms: Diagnosis, management and beyond

Pancreatic cystic neoplasms have been increasingly recognized recently. Comprising about 16% of all resected pancreatic cystic neoplasms, serous cystic neoplasms are uncommon benign lesions that are usually asymptomatic and found incidentally. Despite overall low risk of malignancy, these pancreatic cysts still generate anxiety, leading to intensive medical investigations with considerable financial cost to health care systems. This review discusses the general background of serous cystic neoplasms, including epidemiology and clinical characteristics, and provides an updated overview of diagnostic approaches based on clinical features, relevant imaging studies and new findings that are being discovered pertaining to diagnostic evaluation. We also concisely discuss and propose management strategies for better quality of life.

Clinical approach to incidental pancreatic cysts

The approach to incidentally noted pancreatic cysts is constantly evolving. While surgical resection is indicated for malignant or higher risk cysts, correctly identifying these highest risk pancreatic cystic lesions remains difficult. Using parameters including cyst size, presence of solid components, and pancreatic duct involvement, the 2012 International Association of Pancreatology (IAP) and the 2015 American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) guidelines have sought to identify the higher risk patients who would benefit from further evaluation using endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). Not only can EUS help further assess the presence of solid component and nodules, but also fine needle aspiration of cyst fluid aids in diagnosis by obtaining cellular, molecular, and genetic data. The impact of new endoscopic innovations with novel methods of direct visualization including confocal endomicroscopy require further validation. This review also highlights the differences between the 2012 IAP and 2015 AGA guidelines, which include the thresholds for sending patients for EUS and surgery and methods, interval, and duration of surveillance for unresected cysts.

Role of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology, viscosity, and carcinoembryonic antigen in pancreatic cyst fluid

Due to the advances and increased utility of abdominal cross-sectional imaging, the diagnosis of pancreatic cysts continues to increase. Many endosonographers, pancreatologists, and surgeons consider endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) to be an essential tool in the management of pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs). EUS can help distinguish between mucinous and nonmucinous lesions and may identify the specific cyst type. EUS achieves these goals by delineating the cyst morphology, identifying high risk stigmata and worrisome features, and through image-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) and cyst fluid analysis. However, recent consensus statements have called to question the utility and diminished the role of EUS in this setting. The aim of this review is to assess the role and advances of EUS-FNA in pancreatic cyst fluid analysis, specifically in terms of fluid cytology, viscosity, and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) analysis.

Unusual presentation of a pancreatic cyst resulting from osteosarcoma metastasis

Pancreatic metastases are uncommon. They have been reported in lung cancer, gastrointestinal malignancies, breast cancer, renal cell carcinoma, melanoma, lymphoma and sarcoma, and usually have solid morphology. Cystic metastasis to the pancreas is even more rare with few case reports in the literature. However, with the increasing use of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging as well as endoscopic ultrasound, more such lesions may be detected. Metastasis to the pancreas from osteosarcoma is highly unusual, but can be seen with the increasing survival of patients with osteosarcoma. We present an extremely rare case of a predominantly cystic lesion of the pancreas, which was diagnosed as metastasis from osteosarcoma. The pathophysiology of the cystic component of the metastasis of osteosarcoma is unknown. Cystic necrotic degeneration of the solid metastasis or pancreatitis secondary to the metastasis with development of associated fluid collection can be considered. Metastasis should remain a differential consideration even for primarily cystic lesions of the pancreas.