Eosinophilic pancreatitis: Three case reports and literature review.

Eosinophilic pancreatitis (EP) is a rare form of chronic pancreatitis characterized by localized or diffuse eosinophilic infiltration of the pancreas and elevated serum immunoglobulin E levels. EP is difficult to distinguish from pancreatic cancer on the basis of clinical symptoms and the results of auxiliary examination alone. A retrospective analysis of the clinicopathological characteristics and laboratory, imaging, and pathology results of 3 patients with EP, who were initially diagnosed with pancreatic malignancy, was performed. EP is an allergic disease with non-specific clinical manifestations that is difficult to distinguish from pancreatic cancer based exclusively on clinical symptoms and auxiliary examination, resulting in the need for invasive procedures to confirm the diagnosis. An increase in the eosinophil count in the peripheral blood and pathological examination are essential for the diagnosis of EP.