Cystic mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma of the pancreas: A case report

INTRODUCTION: Pancreatic mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma (MANEC) is a rare tumor. We report herein a case of pancreatic MANEC with cystic features. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 67-year-old woman presented with jaundice. A CT scan revealed an 18-mm mass at the pancreatic head that obstructed the common bile duct and another 35-mm cystic lesion containing a mural nodule in the pancreatic body, which was suspected to be an intraductal papillary mucinous carcinoma. A biopsy of the head mass led to the diagnosis of adenocarcinoma. The patient underwent pancreatoduodenectomy, and the body cyst was resected with the head mass. A histopathological analysis revealed that the body cyst had two components, ductal adenocarcinoma and neuroendocrine tumor. We diagnosed the cystic tumor as MANEC. DISCUSSION: Cases of MANEC have been reported as originating from the stomach, small intestine, and colon, but pancreatic MANEC is rare. The histogenesis and the therapeutic strategy for pancreatic MANEC are controversial. CONCLUSION: The clinicopathological features of pancreatic MANEC remain unclear; therefore, more reports of cases of pancreatic MANEC are necessary for a complete analysis.