Abstract
There are numerous pancreatic and peripancreatic conditions that can mimic pancreatic neoplasms. Many of these can be confidently diagnosed on computed tomography (CT), while others will require further imaging. Knowledge of these tumour mimics is important to avoid misclassification of benign conditions as malignant and to avoid unnecessary surgery. Mimics can be grouped as parenchymal, vascular, biliary and peripancreatic. These are discussed and illustrated in this review.
Highlights
Parenchymal tumour mimicsAlcohol and intraductal biliary calculi are the commonest causes of pancreatitis, a variety of other aetiologies— including autoimmune, hereditary, infections and drugs—are implicated [1]
There are numerous pancreatic and peripancreatic conditions that can mimic pancreatic neoplasms
Acute pancreatitis is seen as reduced attenuation with associated peripancreatic inflammatory changes while the fibrosis of chronic pancreatitis may appear as mass
Summary
Alcohol and intraductal biliary calculi are the commonest causes of pancreatitis, a variety of other aetiologies— including autoimmune, hereditary, infections and drugs—are implicated [1]. A variant of focal pancreatitis is a rare condition known as groove pancreatitis, which is isolated to the head of the pancreas in the ‘groove’ between the duodenum and common bile duct. It is most frequently induced by alcohol [5] and the condition can prove diagnostically challenging as it frequently presents as a hypoenhancing mass lesion. Simple cysts measuring less than 2 cm in patients without a history of pancreatitis or systemic cystic disorder may slowly grow over time, but are rarely associated with morbidity or mortality [15]. The presence of a pancreatic cyst measuring 5 mm or greater was an independent risk factor for future development of a pancreatic cancer [16]
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