2024 Volume 49 Issue 5 Pages 467-474
A 61-year-old woman who presented with abdominal distension was diagnosed with a large anaplastic pancreatic carcinoma of the pancreatic body and tail and treated by surgical resection. The pancreatic tumor, measuring 190 mm in diameter, was identified by an abdominal CT. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration further revealed the tumor to be a non-epithelial sarcomatous tumor. A combined distal pancreatectomy and distal gastrectomy was performed. After histopathological assessment of the resected specimen, the tumor was finally diagnosed to be an anaplastic pancreatic carcinoma. Anaplastic pancreatic carcinoma is reported to be a hyper-vascular tumor that grows rapidly and has an extremely poor prognosis. During surgery, it frequently requires combined resection of surrounding organs of the pancreas because of its tendency to spread. Extensive curative resection is necessary for long-term survival in managing cases of anaplastic pancreatic carcinoma.
