A number of pathogenetic factors have been proposed as the etiology of chronic pancreatitis. It is also recognized in laboratory animals the pancreatic duct obstruction or the stasis of pancreatic juice produced findings similar to the human chronic pancreatitis. On the other hand, several authors have been suggested that obstruction of the main pancreatic duct caused by carcinoma of the pncreas give rice secondary to chronic pancreatitis. It is sure, therefore, that the pathological investigation of the so-called tumor concomitant pancreatitis will be also very important for the pathogenesis of the chronic pancreatitis in general.
In the part I of this paper, sixty autopsy cases of primary carcinoma of the pancreas are studied histopathologically, and in the part II, the tumor concomitant pancreatitis which is located proximal (tail side) to the tumor, is studied histopathologically in comparison with the pancreatic tissue distal (head side) to the tumor.
Part I : Incidence of carcinoma of the pancreas in my series of the autopsy cases is 1.3% (1.4% in male and 1.2% in female). The peak incidence is between 60 and 70 years of age in both sexes. Sites of the tumors in order of the frequency are the head (41.7 %), the tail (15.0%), the body and tail (15.0%), the head and body (10.0%), the whole (10.0%), and the body (8.3%). The histologic classification of the tumor and its incidence are as follows; ductal carcinoma (88.3%), acinar cell carcinoma (8.3%) and indeterminate origin (3.3%). The modes of the tumor extension show some relationships with primary site of the tumor; carcinoma of the head easily infiltrates to the common bile duct and duodenum, whereas the portal invasion, hematogenous and lymphogenous metastases or pleuroperitoneal dissemination are frequently occured in the carcinoma of the body and tail, and the whole. A higher incidence of hamatogenous metastases are observed in the histological type of adenoacanthoma. Generalized jaundices are observed clinically and anatomically in 63% of the subjects and it has been seen in high frequency with the carcinoma of the head or the head and body. Ascites was found in 82%. Carcinoma of the body and tail, and whole type tend to produce ascites. Carcinomatous peritonitis and tumorous portal obstruction have been considered as the main cause of the severe ascites. In this paper, histogenesis of the carcinoma of the pancreas has also been discussed.
Part II : The characteristic findings which belong to the chronic pancreatitis are noted in non-tumor bearing pancreatic tissue proximal (tail side) to the tumor. These findings are observed in very high frequency and with significant differences to the distal (head side) part of the pancreas beyond the tumor. The feature has been manifested by fibrosis, pancreatic duct dilatation, epithelial changes of the pancreatic ducts elastic fiber proliferation, inflammatory cell infiltration and peripheral fatty infiltration.
Changes such as acinar dilatation with proliferation of centroacinar cells, rupture of the pancreatic ducts and fatty and/or parenchymal necrosis revealed no significant differences to the distal (head side) part of the pancreas beyond the tumor. These findings could not be said as the main features for the tumor concomitant pancreatitis. However, it is considered that these findings were caused by the stasis of the pancreatic juice in the early stage of the main pancreatic duct obstruction and the incidence decreased in the late stage of the disease. The fibrotic change of pancreas is the most important conception and characteristic change for the chronic pancreatitis in view of pathology and it is also the most dominant change in the tumor concomitant pancreatitis. In most cases with intensive fibrosis, the pancreatic parenchyma almost disappear and falls into pancreatic cirrhosis with persistent and/or hypertrophic islets of Langerhans.
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