Pancreatic inflammatory tumour: a rare entity in childhood.

Pancreatic tumours are rare childhood neoplasms. Inflammatory myofibrohistiocytic tumours (IMTs) represent an uncommon but distinct pathological subgroup that creates diagnostic and therapeutic dilemmas. We report a case of IMT arising from the body and tail of the pancreas in an 8-year-old girl presenting with a mass and abdominal pain. A locally aggressive tumour with no evidence of distant metastasis was encountered at laparotomy and resected. Pathologically, the tumour revealed a mixed inflammatory cell infiltrate with myofibrohistiocytic proliferation. These features can resemble a sarcoma. A review of the literature is provided which emphasises the clinical features, pathological findings, and management strategies for these unusual tumours. Complete surgical excision, aided by radiological surveillance, appears to offer the best guidelines for definitive management.