A STUDY ON THE CLINICAL FEATURES OF PATIENTS WITH PANCREATIC CALCIFICATION AND CARCINOMA

Abstract

This study was carried out to clarify the clinical features of patients with pancreatic calcification and carcinoma seen in the Hokuriku district during the past 10 years, including 15 well-documented patients collected from Japanese literature. Of 37 of our patients with pancreatic calcification, 5 (13.5%) had carcinoma of the pancreas. In 4 patients, there was no obstruction of the main pancreatic duct caused by tumor, and especially in 3 patients it was assumed that pancreatic carcinoma was secondary to pancreatic calcification. The positive findings by CEA, PAS and alcian blue stain were exhibited in both carcinoma and epithelium of the pancreatic duct. On the other hand, the clinical features in all patients including those collected from the literature were as follows.
Male: female ratio of these patients was 9:1, and average age was 50.6 years old. As to etiology, 56%, excluding unknown patients, were regarded as being related to alcohol intake. Duration of symptoms in 47% of the patients was more than one year before this diagnosis was received, and almost all patients on whom PS-test and 50g OGTT were performed showed a functional injury of the pancreas which exceeded a moderate degree. Furthermore, it was inferred from the relationship between the location of calculi and tumor that pancreatic calcification preceded to carcinoma in many patients.
From these findings, it is suggested that patients with pancreatic calcification have the possibility for development of pancreatic carcinoma.