The novel triad of dorsal agenesis of the pancreas with concurrent pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and nonalcoholic chronic calcific pancreatitis: a case series and review of the literature.

INTRODUCTION: Dorsal agenesis of the pancreas (DAP) is a rare congenital anomaly, with only 44 cases having been reported in the English literature since 1966.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review of our IRB-approved pancreatic surgery database was performed from November 2005 to November 2010 searching for cases of DAP. DISCUSSION: Disorders in the retinoic acid (Raldh) and hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathways, which appear to play a role in the development of DAP, have been implicated in other diseases of the pancreas such as pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) and nonalcoholic chronic calcific pancreatitis (NCCP).
CONCLUSION: In this report, we describe three cases of DAP in the setting of PDA, two of which include the third component of NCCP. We provide a discussion of the clinical features of this novel triad and address the molecular pathways that relate to these respective diseases.