Mucinous cystic tumors of the pancreas.

PURPOSE

This study was conducted to clarify the clinicopathologic characteristics relevant to the specific diagnosis of mucinous cystic tumors of the pancreas.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the clinical features and histopathologic findings of five patients who underwent curative resection for mucinous cystic tumors of the pancreas at our hospital between 1975 and 2000.

RESULTS

All five patients were women, ranging in age from 36 to 69 years, and the tumors were located in the pancreatic body and tail. Histopathologically, three tumors were mucinous cystadenomas and two were mucinous cystadenocarcinomas. All five tumors had ovarian-type stroma, and stromal luteinization was found in the three adenomas. These tumors were classified into two groups according to whether the epithelial lining was endocervical or intestinal. All tumors were spherical and multilocular with a fibrous pseudocapsule. On T1-weighted magnetic resonance images, mucinous cystadenomas with watery mucin showed low signal intensity, but mucinous cystadenocarcinomas with gelatinous mucin or hemorrhagic contents demonstrated high signal intensity.

CONCLUSIONS

Signal intensity on T1-weighted magnetic resonance images provides highly useful diagnostic information on mucinous cystic tumors of the pancreas. Furthermore, tumors may be classified into two groups according to the type of epithelial lining.