Total Pancreatectomy for Pleomorphic Carcinoma

Abstract

ADENOCARCINOMA is a common type of malignant tumor that arises from the pancreas. Pleomorphic carcinoma of the pancreas is a rare lesion which may be mistaken for rhabdomyosarcoma, malignant melanoma, angiosarcoma, or some other type of unusual neoplasm.^1,2 In a study of specimens at autopsy, Sommers and Meissner³ found three pleomorphic carcinomas in 142 patients who died of pancreatic neoplasm. The case of a patient who had pleomorphic carcinoma of the pancreas and in whom total pancreatectomy was performed forms the basis of this report. Report of Case A 49-year-old physician entered the Mayo Clinic in February 1960 because of a daily periumbilical cramping pain of several weeks' duration. His appetite had decreased, but there were no other symptoms except for those associated with severe diabetes which had been present for 28 years. At the time of admission, he was taking a mixture of 40 units of lente