Six cases of anaplastic pancreatic carcinoma diagnosed by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration

Abstract

Anaplastic pancreatic carcinoma is a rare form of pancreatic cancer with an extremely poor prognosis. Its diagnosis is often based on surgical specimens and few reports have described the use of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) for diagnosis. In this study, we examined six patients (mean age, 70.5 years;sex ratio, 1:1) who were diagnosed with anaplastic pancreatic carcinoma using EUS-FNA. The carcinomas were located in the pancreatic head, body, and tail in one, three, and two patients, respectively. The mean tumor diameter was 49.2mm. Five patients opted for best supportive care due to poor performance status and one underwent chemotherapy (GEM+nab-PTX). The median survival was 40.5 (14-98) days. The characteristic imaging findings of anaplastic pancreatic carcinoma, including central necrosis, marginal contrast enhancement, cystic findings, and internal calcification, were frequently observed in the patients. Anaplastic pancreatic carcinoma can also be diagnosed using biopsy tissue;however, a pathologist's consultation is required to differentiate the disease based on imaging findings for an accurate diagnosis.