Primary Leiomyosarcoma of the Pancreas: a Comprehensive Analytical Review

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.

Rare Solid Pancreatic Lesions on Cross-Sectional Imaging

Several solid lesions can be found within the pancreas mainly arising from the exocrine and endocrine pancreatic tissue. Among all pancreatic malignancies, the most common subtype is pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), to a point that pancreatic cancer and PDAC are used interchangeably. But, in addition to PDAC, and to the other most common and well-known solid lesions, either related to benign conditions, such as pancreatitis, or not so benign, such as pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (pNENs), there are solid pancreatic lesions considered rare due to their low incidence. These lesions may originate from a cell line with a differentiation other than exocrine/endocrine, such as from the nerve sheath as for pancreatic schwannoma or from mesenchymal cells as for solitary fibrous tumour. These rare solid pancreatic lesions may show a behaviour that ranges in a benign to highly aggressive malignant spectrum. This review includes cases of an intrapancreatic accessory spleen, pancreatic tuberculosis, solid serous cystadenoma, solid pseudopapillary tumour, pancreatic schwannoma, purely intraductal neuroendocrine tumour, pancreatic fibrous solitary tumour, acinar cell carcinoma, undifferentiated carcinoma with osteoclastic-like giant cells, adenosquamous carcinoma, colloid carcinoma of the pancreas, primary leiomyosarcoma of the pancreas, primary and secondary pancreatic lymphoma and metastases within the pancreas. Therefore, it is important to determine the correct diagnosis to ensure optimal patient management. Because of their rarity, their existence is less well known and, when depicted, in most cases incidentally, the correct diagnosis remains challenging. However, there are some typical imaging features present on cross-sectional imaging modalities that, taken into account with the clinical and biological context, contribute substantially to achieve the correct diagnosis.

A rare case report of pancreatic low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma (LGFMS)

BACKGROUND

Low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma (LGFMS) is an uncommon neoplasm generally affecting muscle tissue. It presents rarely in abdominal viscera and even more rarely occurs in the pancreas. All types of pancreatic sarcomas are uncommon, and LGFMS is a rarer still. We present the case of an LGFMS in the pancreas. Because of its rarity, there are no guidelines for appropriate treatment or summations of the natural course of this illness.

CASE PRESENTATION

We present the case of a 49-year-old female who presented with epigastric pain. She had a prior history of three episodes of acute pancreatitis many years earlier. A CT revealed a pancreatic body mass, which was biopsied. Pathology returned LGFMS. The patient underwent a distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy. She did well after the case and did not require further intervention.

CONCLUSION

Though it is exceedingly rare, cases of pancreatic LGFMS should be reported in order to guide clinical decisions. LGFMS has been shown to have high malignant potential in other tissues, and there is no reason to think pancreatic masses will be different. By building a body of evidence about these rare tumors, patient care will benefit.

Primary leiomyosarcoma of the pancreas with metastasis to the spleen

Video 1EUS evaluation of the pancreas and the spleen.

Pancreatic Leiomyosarcoma With Schistosomiasis Hematobia: A Case Report and Literature Review

Pancreatic leiomyosarcoma (PL) is a very rare, malignant neoplasm with a very poor prognosis. Here, we examine a novel case of PL with schistosomiasis hematobia. The patient had been initially misdiagnosed by the first magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The second imaging examination demonstrated an enlarged heterogeneous tumor mass in the body-tail of pancreas. Following image analysis, the patient underwent a pancreatectomy, splenectomy and lymph node dissections. Sixteen months after the tumor resection, follow-up computed tomography (CT) and MRI revealed tumor metastasis in the liver and lung. PL has non-specific clinical manifestations and imaging characteristics, making early diagnosis very challenging. When it is difficult to distinguish between benign and malignant pancreatic lesions, short-term imaging follow-up is preferred. In this case report, we discuss the relationship between PL and schistosomiasis hematobia.