A Resected Case of Endocrine Cell Carcinoma at the Papilla Vater

Masaru Miura, Ryutaro Mori, Tetsuya Takahashi, Yoshirou Obi, Ken Yamanaka, Tetsuo Abe, Daisuke Kobayashi* and Kyoichi Nakamura*

Department of Surgery, Yokohama Red Cross Hospital
^*Department of Pathology, Yokohama Red Cross Hospital

Recent clinical studies have shown that endocrine cell carcinoma should be designated malignant carcinoid tumor to distinguish it from classical carcinoid tumor. We report a case of endocrine cell carcinoma of the papilla of Vater. A 66-year-old woman admitted for fever and abdominal pain was diagnosed with undifferentiated adenocarcinoma or endocrine cell carcinoma of the papilla of Vater, necessitating pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy with lymph node dissection. The resected specimen showed a submucosal tumor with ulceration at the second portion of the duodenum. Histological and immunohistochemical examination showed endocrine cell carcinoma. The Ki-67 index was noted in 50% of the specimen. The postoperative course was very poor due to rapid metastasis. Endocrine cell carcinoma of the papilla of Vater is rare, with our case being the 18^th to be reported in Japan.

Key words
endocrine cell carcinoma, papilla Vater, duodenum

Reprint requests
Masaru Miura Department of Surgery, Yokohama Red Cross Hospital
2-85 Negishi, Naka-ku, Yokohama City, 231-0836 JAPAN

Accepted
September 24, 2003

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