Purpose

It was stated that people with IPMNs have a greater risk to develop neoplasms mainly in the pancreas and the GI tract. The purpose of this study was to investigate this possibility in a high volume center for pancreatic disease.

Material and methods

We retrospectively searched our database during 2018, for patients with pathologically proven IPMN who had a history or developed at the same time or lately malignant neoplasms.

Results

45 patients with IPMN were included in the study (21 main duct type, 15 branch duct type and 9 mixed type). From the 30 patients who underwent resection in 9 a high grade dysplasia in the IPMN and a pancreatic adenocarcinoma were finally found. In 6 patients the cancer was close to the IPMN while in the other three in other parts of the pancreas.

Additionally four patients with main duct and mixed IPMN and one with branch type were found to have a history of colon cancer (2 cases), gastric cancer (2 cases) or developed subsequently liver cancer (one case). Finally, one patient with multiple IPMNs had a history of Ewing sarcoma and later on breast cancer.

Conclusion

This study supports the literature concerning the increase rate of cancers in patients with IPMN, indicating the need for closer follow up not only for the possible IPMN changes overtime but also for the development of other malignancies.