Pancreaticoduodenectomy in 11-year-old male with a non-functional pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor

Abstract

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs) are rare pancreatic neoplasms and are even more uncommon in the pediatric patients, thus leading to a lack of clinical research on diagnosis and management in this population. The purpose of this report is to review relevant literature and discuss a rare occurrence of a non-functioning pNET in a pediatric patient. This is a report of an 11-year-old male who presented with symptomatic anemia and was found to have a 6 cm mass near the pancreatic head with erosion into the duodenum. Surgical biopsy demonstrated a non-functioning pNET. He was successfully managed with complete surgical resection via a standard pancreaticoduodenectomy without evidence of recurrence after 1 year follow up. Further multi-institutional prospective studies or meta-analyses are warranted to further explore optimal management in the pediatric population.