Rare solid tumors of the pancreas as differential diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

CONTEXT: Rare solid tumors of the pancreas can be misinterpreted as primary pancreatic cancer.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to report our experience in the treatment of patients with rare tumor lesions of the pancreas and to discuss clinical and pathological characteristics in the context of the role of surgery.
DESIGN: Data from patients of our prospective data-base with rare benign and malignant tumors of the pancreas, treated in our division from January 2004 to August 2010, were analyzed retrospectively.
RESULTS: One-thousand and ninety-eight patients with solid tumors of the pancreas underwent pancreatic surgery. In 19 patients (10 women, 9 men) with a mean age of 57 years (range: 20-74 years) rare pancreatic tumors (metastasis, solid pseudopapillary tumor, teratoma, hemangioma, accessory spleen, lymphoepithelial cyst, hamartoma, sarcoidosis, yolk sac tumor) were the reason for surgical intervention.
CONCLUSION: If rare benign and malignant pancreatic tumors, intrapancreatic metastasis, as well as pancreatic malformations or other abnormalities, present themselves as solid masses of the pancreas, they constitute an important differential diagnosis to primary pancreatic neoplasia, e.g. pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Clinical imaging techniques cannot always rule out malignancy, thus operative exploration often remains the treatment of choice to provide the correct diagnosis and initiate adequate surgical therapy.