A Serous Cystic Tumor and a Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor in the Same Patient: A Case Report and Literature Review

TL;DR

This case report describes a rare instance where a patient had two distinct pancreatic tumors, emphasizing the importance of imaging and clinical integration for accurate diagnosis.

Contribution

The novelty lies in presenting a rare coexistence of two pancreatic tumor types and highlighting diagnostic imaging features for differentiation.

Findings

Serous cystic tumors can be distinguished by imaging features like enhancing scar with punctate calcifications.

Neuroendocrine tumors show early arterial enhancement and specific MRI signal characteristics.

Combining clinical data with imaging and histopathology is crucial for managing complex pancreatic tumors.

Abstract

A serous cystic tumor is a rare entity that has a benign course. Its imaging characteristics, such as the presence of multiple cysts with or without nodular enhancement, can simulate other cystic or solid lesions of the pancreas. Identification of the enhancing scar with punctate calcifications on computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be a distinctive finding suggesting this diagnosis. Neuroendocrine tumors of the pancreas are a different and also rare entity. In images, they have early arterial enhancement. In MRI, they are hyperintense on T2 and hypointense on T1, with avid contrast enhancement. A case of a patient with two focal lesions in the pancreas is presented and the importance of integrating clinical findings, semiology in diagnostic images and, if applicable, the histopathological result for the optimal management of pancreatic tumors is illustrated, highlighting the crucial role of a radiologist in this process.

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