A case of ruptured mucinous cystadenoma of the pancreas with recurrence-free survival for 8 years

Spontaneously Ruptured Pancreatic Mucinous Cystic Neoplasm: A Case Report

INTRODUCTION

Pancreatic mucinous cystic neoplasm (MCN) is a cystic tumor of the pancreas typically located in the pancreatic body or tail in middle-aged women. However, MCN rupture is rare. This report describes a case of MCN with spontaneous rupture during follow-up.

CASE PRESENTATION

The patient was a 34-year-old woman. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a 130 mm multifocal cyst in the pancreatic tail. The cyst, characterized by multiple septa and cyst-in-cyst structures, was diagnosed as an MCN. Initially, the patient opted for periodic follow-ups instead of surgical resection. After a gradual increase in cyst size, surgery was scheduled approximately 1 year later. Two days before the scheduled surgery, the patient experienced unexplained lower abdominal pain. Moreover, CECT revealed a shrinking cystic mass in the pancreatic tail along with the presence of ascites, leading to a diagnosis of spontaneous rupture of the pancreatic cyst. No peritonitis was detected, and a distal pancreatectomy was performed 2 days after admission. Pathological examination confirmed that the pancreatic cyst was a noninvasive mucinous cystadenocarcinoma. The abdominal cavity contained large amounts of turbid ascites with neutrophils but no bacterial growth. Strong inflammatory changes were noted at the cyst wall disruption site. Despite the development of a pancreatic fistula (ISGPF Grade BL, Clavien-Dindo Grade II), the patient was discharged from the hospital on postoperative day 16 and remained alive and recurrence-free for 18 months after surgery.

CONCLUSION

Spontaneous rupture of an MCN is rare. In this study, we report our case and review previously published cases of MCN rupture. We also discuss the potential causes of the spontaneous rupture in our case.

Laparoscopic peritoneal mucinous cystadenoma debulking: A case report

RATIONALE

Peritoneal mucinous cystadenoma is rare in the clinic, lacks specific clinical manifestations, tumor markers, and imaging features, and is easily misdiagnosed and missed. Clinical practitioners should maintain a high level of vigilance. Here, we report a case of laparoscopic peritoneal mucinous cystadenoma stripping to improve our understanding of the disease.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 34-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with a history of epigastric pain over the past year that had worsened over the previous 4 months. The patient had no history of trauma or surgery.

DIAGNOSES

A computed tomography scan of the whole abdomen, as well as hepatobiliary and pancreatic scans and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography examinations, showed a low-density mass of approximately 5.8 × 4.8 cm between the right lobe of the liver and the right kidney. The lesion showed no significant enhancement on the enhanced scan, and analysis of tumor markers was normal. The preoperative diagnosis was cholelithiasis with cholecystitis and hepatic cysts.

INTERVENTIONS

It was proposed to perform "laparoscopic cholecystectomy + hepatic cyst decapitation and decompression" under general anesthesia; however, intraoperative exploration revealed that the abdominal cyst had originated from the right side of the peritoneum and was located between the liver and kidney. The surgical procedure was thus changed to "laparoscopic abdominal cyst removal + cholecystectomy."

OUTCOMES

The patient recovered well and was discharged on the fourth postoperative day. Postoperative pathological examination (abdominal cyst) showed mostly serous cells partially covered with high columnar mucus cells, which was consistent with mucinous cystadenoma. The postoperative diagnosis was peritoneal mucinous cystadenoma and cholecystolithiasis with cholecystitis.

LESSONS

Clinical diagnosis of mucinous cystadenoma of the abdominal wall is difficult. The possibility of the disease should be considered when a cystic space is found in the abdominal cavity. Diagnosis depends on postoperative pathological examination, and surgery is the preferred treatment option. During the operation, attention should be paid to avoid rupture of the cyst wall and overflow of cyst fluid, and to avoid blind fenestration and drainage or puncture and aspiration sclerotherapy when the diagnosis is unclear.

A Ruptured Mucinous Cystadenocarcinoma of the Pancreas Extensively Evaluated Before and After the Rupture: A Case Report

ABSTRACT

Pancreatic mucinous cystic neoplasm (MCN) rarely ruptures because of their surrounding fibrotic capsules and has never been reported with detailed information regarding prerupture and postrupture states. We report a case of MCN rupture where performed emergency surgery was performed while waiting for elective surgery. A 54-year-old woman was referred to our department for a pancreatic cystic tumor with slight abdominal pain. A cystic tumor with a nodular lesion was found, with a contrast effect measuring 78 mm in diameter. On day 21, the patient visited our hospital complaining of increased abdominal pain, but few signs of peritonitis were observed. Tests conducted revealed moderate ascites, marginal shrinkage of the cyst diameter, and a slight elevation of inflammatory markers. We suspected an MCN rupture and immediately performed distal pancreatectomy. Brown turbid ascites and rupture of the anterior wall of the cyst were observed. In the ascites, amylase levels were not elevated, and bacterial cultures were negative. The histopathological diagnosis was noninvasive mucinous cystadenocarcinoma. At 9 months after surgery, she started chemotherapy because of a recurrence of the peritoneal dissemination. This case provided valuable insight into the rupture of MCNs using thorough imaging techniques, laboratory, and physical findings before and after rupturing.

A case of pancreatic mucinous cystadenocarcinoma with malignant ascites without recurrence for more than 8 years after surgery

Mucinous cystadenocarcinoma (MCAC) with malignant ascites is rare. We report a case of a 28-year-old woman who presented with epigastric pain. The ascites in the Douglas fossa was identified at a nearby gynecology clinic. Computed tomography showed a multiloculated cystic lesion (9.5 × 6.4 cm) in the tail of the pancreas, which was diagnosed as mucinous cystic neoplasm on imaging. Staging laparoscopy was performed, and rapid cytology of ascites revealed adenocarcinoma, leading to a diagnosis of unresectable MCAC. Subsequently, combination chemotherapy with gemcitabine plus S-1 was initiated. Although there were no remarkable changes in the imaging findings, the peritoneal dissemination node was not consistently recognized in any of the imaging findings, and distal pancreatectomy was performed. A peritoneal dissemination node was not observed in the laparotomy findings, but the peritoneal lavage cytology was positive. The postoperative pathological result was non-invasive MCAC, and the ascites was suspected to be caused by cyst rupture. The patient has been recurrence-free, including the reappearance of ascites, for > 8 years after adjuvant therapy with S-1. Although careful follow-up will be required in the future, the very good prognosis in this case suggests that MCAC with malignant ascites without obvious peritoneal dissemination should be considered for surgical resection.