Two Cases of Mucin-producing Pancreatic Cancer with Special Reference of the Usefulness of Intraoperative Cytological Examination in Decision on Surgical Margin

Masao Yonekawa, Osamu Kimura, Oetsujo Shiota, Okitsugu Nishimura

First Department of Surgery, Tottori University School of Medicine

Recently, case reports of mucin-producing pancreatic cancer have been increasing, but it is difficult to determine the spread of the tumor. We experienced two cases of mucin-producing pancreatic cancer with total pancreatectomy. In both cases, the pancreas was first cut at the body, but total pancreatectomy was performed later, because cancer cells were observed in the distal cut end of the pancreas. Both of these tumors were in the pancreas head and extended to the whole pancreas, with expansive growth in case I and with consecutive growth at the main pancreatic duct and its surrounding tissue in case 2. Therefore, we considered that intraoperative cytological examination of the pancreas cut end is useful for deciding the surgical margin in mucin-producing pancreatic cancer.

Key words
mucin-producing pancreatic cancer, intraoperative cytological examination, total pancreatectomy

Reprint requests
Ssamu Kimura First Department of Surgery, Tottori University School of Medicine
36-1 Nishimachi, Yonago, 683 JAPAN

Accepted
March 13, 1991

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