Primary Pancreatic Choriocarcinoma Presenting as Pancreatitis
Abstract
Context Pancreatic cancers can present with pancreatitis or its complications. Pancreatic choriocarcinoma is an extremely rare disease to involve pancreas. Case report A 27-year-old married woman presented to our facility with abdominal pain and fullness of 20-day duration. She was clinically diagnosed as acute pancreatitis with pseudocyst as a complication. Serum amylase was elevated with CT scan of abdomen showing a cystic lesion involving the pancreas. We approached the cyst with endoscopic ultrasonography and cyst fluid was aspirated and analyzed. Cyst fluid amylase was elevated and cytology revealed germ cell tumor. Serum beta human chorionic gonadotropin was elevated. She had a swelling over the jaw which also revealed choriocarcinoma in histopathological examination. Patient was started with chemotherapy. Conclusion We report this case of pancreatic choriocarcinoma due to its extreme rarity and the diagnostic dilemma it posed.
Downloads
References
Mujica VR, Barkin JS, Go VL: Acute pancreatitis secondary to pancreatic carcinoma. Study group participants. Pancreas 2000; 21:329-32. [PMID 11075985]
Alvarez NR, Lambrou N, Solorzano CC. Metastatic choriocarcinoma to the pancreas. Am Surg. 2005 Apr;71(4):330-2. [PMID 15943408]
Childs CC, Korsten MA, Choi HS et al. Pancreatic choriocarcinoma presenting as inflammatory pseudocyst. Gastroenterology. 1985 Aug; 89(2):426-31. [PMID 3891498]
Bonetti A, Deyhle P, Largiadèr F et al. :Pancreatic cancer associated with pancreatitis and pseudocysts. Schweiz Med Wochenschr. 1980 May 31;110(22):852-3. [PMID 6250209]
Hruban RH, Klimstra DS, Pitman MB. Ductal adenocarcinoma. In: Hruban RH, Pitman MB, Klimstra DS, ed. AFIP Atlas of Tumor Pathology. Tumors of the Pancreas, Washington, D.C.: American Registry of Pathology; 2007:111-64.
Brugge WR. Role of endoscopic ultrasound in the diagnosis of cystic lesions of the pancreas. Pancreatology. 2001;1(6):637-40. [PMID 12120247]

Copyright (c) 2014 Biggs Saravanan Ramachandran, Malarvizhi Murugesan, Mohammed Ali, Purushotaman Padmanabhan

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
As a member of Publisher International Linking Association, PILA, iMedPub Group’s JOP follows the Creative Commons Attribution License and Scholars Open Access publishing policies. Journal of the Pancreas is the Council Contributor Member of Council of Science Editors (CSE) and following the CSE slogan Education, Ethics, and Evidence for Editors.