Clinical Evaluation of Brushing Cytology and Biopsy of the Pancreatic Duct in Patients with Mucin Producing Tumor of the Pancreas

Abstract

A cytological study of pure pancreatic juice obtained endoscopically after brushing the lesion of the pancreatic duct urns performed in 10 patients with mucin producing tumors of the pancreas. In 6 of these 10 patients, biopsies from the lesion in the pancreatic duct were also carried out endoscopically. The brushing cytology in all 6 patients with mucin producing carcinoma of the pancreas, except for the sidebranch type, showed cellular atypism and the cytological diagnoses were Class IV or Class V. The results of the brushing cytology in the patients assumed clinically benign were Class I ˜ Class III. Biopsy results in 4 patients with mucin producing carcinoma of the pancreas indicated that one of them had adenocarcinoma, and the other 3 had atypical hyperplasia which suggests the existence of malignancy. In the patient with adenoma, diagnosis of the biopsy specimen revealed hyperplasia only. It was concluded that cytology and biopsy of lesions in the pancreatic duct are a valuable way of assessing mucin producing tumors of the pancreas before surgery.