| Literature DB >> 36238034 |
Seung Jae Lee, Sang Soo Shin, Suk Hee Heo, Yong Yeon Jeong.
Abstract
Various types of tumors and tumor-like lesions may affect the pancreas. Among them, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is the most common and is generally referred to as "pancreatic cancer." Recently, the detection rates of rare pancreatic tumors and tumor-like lesions have increased owing to technological advancements and increased frequency of imaging tests. Considering that rare pancreatic tumors and tumor-like lesions differ from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in terms of the treatment plan and prognosis, the differential diagnosis of these diseases is clinically relevant. Various imaging tests play an important role in the differential diagnoses of rare tumors, such as acinar cell carcinoma and schwannoma, tumor-like lesions, such as autoimmune pancreatitis and inflammatory pseudotumor, and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, but accurately distinguishing these diseases solely based on imaging findings is difficult. The aim of this pictorial review was to present the imaging findings of rare pancreatic tumors and tumor-like lesions and discuss important points for the differential diagnosis. CopyrightsEntities:
Year: 2020 PMID: 36238034 PMCID: PMC9431853 DOI: 10.3348/jksr.2020.0022
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Taehan Yongsang Uihakhoe Chi ISSN: 1738-2637
Summary of Radiologic Features of Rare Pancreatic Tumors and Tumor-Like Lesions
| Pancreatic Lesions | Radiologic Features |
|---|---|
| Colloid carcinoma | - Very high SI & salt-and-pepper appearance on T2WI |
| - Progressive mesh-like enhancement | |
| - No communication with main pancreatic duct | |
| Undifferentiated carcinoma | - Heterogeneous enhancement with necrosis and/or hemorrhage |
| Acinar cell carcinoma | - Well-defined hypovascular mass |
| - Enhancing capsule | |
| Primary leiomyosarcoma | - Heterogeneous enhancement with necrosis and/or hemorrhage |
| - Lymphadenopathy: rare | |
| Schwannoma | - Well-defined and progressively enhancing mass with cystic change |
| Lipoma | - Well-defined and homogeneously fatty mass |
| - India-ink artifact on out-of-phase T1WI | |
| Mature cystic teratoma | - Unilocular or multilocular cystic mass with fat-fluid level and/or calcification |
| Hamartoma | - Well-defined cystic and/or solid mass with heterogeneous enhancement |
| Localized lymphoid hyperplasia | - Well-defined mass with delayed enhancement |
| Focal autoimmune pancreatitis | - Delayed persistent enhancement |
| - Speckled pattern of enhancement | |
| - Duct-penetrating sign | |
| Inflammatory pseudotumor | - Various and non-specific imaging findings |
SI = signal intensity, T1WI = T1-weighted image, T2WI = T2-weighted image
Fig. 1A 65-year-old man with colloid carcinoma in the pancreatic head.
A. The non-fat-suppressed T2-weighted MR image depicts a mass (arrows) with a “salt-and-pepper” appearance in the pancreatic head. There is no communication between the mass (arrows) and the main pancreatic duct (arrowhead).
B. The pre-contrast fat-suppressed T1-weighted MR image shows a mass (arrows) with low signal intensity.
C. The contrast-enhanced fat-suppressed T1-weighted MR images show a mass (arrows) with progressive peripheral and internal sponge-like enhancements.
Fig. 2A 76-year-old woman with undifferentiated carcinoma in the pancreatic body.
A. The coronal non-fat-suppressed T2-weighted MR image shows a mass (arrow) with heterogeneous high signal intensity in the pancreatic body. No dilatation of the main pancreatic duct is visible.
B. The pre-contrast fat-suppressed T1-weighted MR image shows a mass (arrow) with low signal intensity. The dynamic gadolinium-enhanced fat-suppressed T1-weighted MR images show a relatively well-defined mass (arrows) with heterogeneous enhancement.
Fig. 3A 73-year-old man with acinar cell carcinoma in the pancreatic uncinate process.
A. The non-fat-suppressed T2-weighted MR image shows a mass (arrow) with high signal intensity in the pancreatic uncinate process.
B. The pre-contrast fat-suppressed T1-weighted MR image shows a well-defined mass (arrow) with low signal intensity. The dynamic gadolinium-enhanced fat-suppressed T1-weighted MR images depict that the degree of enhancement of the mass (arrow) is lower than that of the pancreatic parenchyma. The delayedphase image demonstrates an enhancing capsule (arrowheads) of the mass in its periphery.
Fig. 4A 74-year-old woman with pancreatic leiomyosarcoma in the pancreatic head.
A. The contrast-enhanced CT images show a well-defined mass (arrows) with heterogeneous, delayed enhancement in the pancreatic head.
B. The axial non-fat-saturated T2-weighted MR image demonstrates the mass (arrows) with heterogeneous high signal intensity.
Fig. 5A 66-year-old woman with pancreatic schwannoma in the pancreatic tail.
A. The fat-suppressed T2-weighted MR image shows a well-defined mass (arrow) with high signal intensity in the pancreatic tail.
B. The pre-contrast fat-suppressed T1-weighted MR image shows a mass (arrow) with homogeneous low signal intensity. The dynamic gadolinium-enhanced fat-suppressed T1-weighted MR images depict that the peripheral portion of the mass (arrow) exhibits delayed enhancement while the central portion of the mass exhibits no enhancement.
Fig. 6A 63-year-old woman with pancreatic lipoma in the pancreatic head.
A. The contrast-enhanced CT image shows a homogeneously fatty mass (arrow) with no enhancement in the pancreatic head.
B. The pre-contrast fat-suppressed T1-weighted MR image depicts a well-circumscribed mass (arrow) with loss of signal intensity.
C. The T1-weighted chemical-shift MR image reveals a lobulated mass (arrow) with high signal intensity in the in-phase image with the “India ink” artifact around its periphery (arrowheads) in the opposed-phase image.
T1WI = T1-weighted image
Fig. 7A 53-year-old man with pancreatic mature cystic teratoma in the pancreatic tail.
A. The contrast-enhanced CT image shows a lobulated hypoattenuating mass (arrow) with an internal daughter nodule (arrowhead) in the pancreatic tail.
B. The non-fat-suppressed T2-weighted MR image shows a mass (arrow), with iso-intensity relative to mesenteric fat, containing a small cystic portion.
C. The T1-weighted chemical-shift MR image shows that the mass (arrow) exhibits signal drop in some areas in the opposed-phase image relative to the in-phase image.
D. The dynamic gadolinium-enhanced fat-suppressed T1-weighted MR images demonstrate a mass (arrow) with heterogeneously enhancing rim in the pancreatic tail.
T1WI = T1-weighted image
Fig. 8A 52-year-old woman with pancreatic hamartoma in the pancreatic head.
A. The coronal non-fat-suppressed T2-weighted MR image shows a mixed solid (arrow) and cystic (arrowhead) mass in the pancreatic head.
B. The coronal gadolinium-enhanced delayed-phase fat-suppressed T1-weighted MR image reveals that the mass consists of a well-enhancing solid portion (arrow) and cystic portion (arrowhead).
C. The pre-contrast fat-suppressed T1-weighted MR image at the level of the solid portion (arrow) of the mass shows an elongated mass with homogeneous low signal intensity. The gadolinium-enhanced arterial-, portal-, and delayed-phase fat-suppressed T1-weighted MR images demonstrate that the solid portion (arrow) of the mass exhibits delayed strong enhancement relative to the pancreatic parenchyma. There are small areas inside the mass that exhibit no enhancement.
Fig. 9A 71-year-old man with localized lymphoid hyperplasia of the pancreas.
A. The contrast-enhanced CT images show two localized masses in the pancreatic uncinate process (arrow) and tail (arrowhead) without peripancreatic stranding. The masses show a similar to slightly greater degree of enhancement relative to the pancreatic parenchyma.
B. The pre-contrast fat-suppressed T1-weighted MR image shows a mass (arrow) with low signal intensity in the pancreatic uncinate process. The dynamic gadolinium-enhanced fat-suppressed T1-weighted MR images demonstrate that the mass (arrow) is slightly hypointense in the arterial-phase image and slightly hyperintense in the portal- and delayed-phase images.
Fig. 10A 58-year-old man with focal autoimmune pancreatitis in the pancreatic tail.
A. The fat-suppressed T2-weighted MR image shows an ill-defined focal hyperintense lesion (arrow) in the pancreatic tail and mild dilatation of the upstream main pancreatic duct (arrowhead). The MR cholangiopancreatographic image depicts a stricture (arrow) of the main pancreatic duct accompanied by mild dilatation of the upstream duct (arrowhead).
B. The pre-contrast fat-suppressed T1-weighted MR image depicts a lesion (arrow) with focal low signal intensity, accompanied by another lesion (arrowheads) with diffuse low signal intensity due to secondary pancreatitis, in the pancreatic tail. The dynamic gadolinium-enhanced fat-suppressed T1-weighted MR images show that these lesions exhibit delayed, persistent enhancement. No peripancreatic fat stranding is discernible.
Fig. 11A 60-year-old woman with inflammatory pseudotumor in the pancreatic head.
A. The fat-suppressed T2-weighted MR image shows a mass (arrows) located in the pancreatic head, which appears as a hyperintense lesion with internal septa.
B. The coronal gadolinium-enhanced fat-suppressed T1-weighted MR image depicts a mass (arrows) with heterogeneous enhancement, accompanied by irregular internal septa and perilesional soft tissue infiltration.
C. The gadolinium-enhanced fat-suppressed T1-weighted MR images demonstrate a mass (arrows) with heterogeneous enhancement in the pancreatic head. The delayed-phase image shows slightly irregular enhancement of the septa.