Sugar tumor of the pancreas : a rare entity that is diagnosable on preoperative fine-needle biopsies

• Published in: Virchows Archiv : an international journal of pathology Vol. 446; no. 5; pp. 555 - 559
• Main Authors: RAMUZ, Olivier, LELONG, Bernard, GIOVANNINI, Marc, DELPERO, Jean-Robert, ROCHAIX, Philippe, XERRI, Luc, HASSOUN, Jacques, FLEJOU, Jean-Francois, MONGES, Geneviève
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin Springer 01.05.2005; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Angiomyolipoma - chemistry; Angiomyolipoma - pathology; Angiomyolipoma - surgery; Antigens, Neoplasm; Biological and medical sciences; Biopsy, Fine-Needle; Computed tomography; Dermatology; Diagnosis, Differential; Female; Focal Nodular Hyperplasia - complications; Humans; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Laparoscopy; Medical sciences; Melanoma-Specific Antigens; Neoplasm Proteins - analysis; Pancreatectomy; Pancreatic Neoplasms - chemistry; Pancreatic Neoplasms - pathology; Pancreatic Neoplasms - surgery; Pathology. Cytology. Biochemistry. Spectrometry. Miscellaneous investigative techniques; Sugar; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Tumors; Tumors of the skin and soft tissue. Premalignant lesions; Immunohistochemistry; Biological marker; Biological indicator; Sugar tumor; Malignant tumor; PEcoma; Aspiration punction; Anatomic pathology; Endoluminal ultrasonography; Fine-needle aspiration; Fine needle; Biopsy; Echography; Malignant melanoma; Preoperative; Pancreas; Melanoma markers
• ISSN: 0945-6317; 1432-2307
• DOI: 10.1007/s00428-005-1216-4

This study is the second to report a pancreatic "sugar" tumor (ST) case. This ST was incidentally discovered in a 31-year-old woman using computed tomography scan (CT scan) for work-up of a hepatic focal nodular hyperplasia. Both CT scan and endoluminal ultrasonography (EUS) features evoked a 15-mm large benign endocrine tumor. Pathological examination of EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsies could not confirm this diagnosis. Laparoscopic corporeo-caudal pancreatectomy was performed. The tumor was intrapancreatic, well circumscribed, and organized in sheets of epithelioid cells. The tumor cells expressed HMB-45 but did not express epithelial or endocrine immunohistochemical markers. These histophenotypic features are those of an extra pulmonary ST, which belong to the PEComa family of tumors. Retrospective examination of preoperative biopsies evidenced the same histophenotypic features. This observation highlights that STs should be considered in preoperative differential diagnosis of pancreas tumors, since they may be treated by limited surgical resection.