Cystic pancreatic neoplasms

Cystic pancreatic neoplasms comprise a heterogeneous group of pathologic en tities. Mucinous cystic tumors and serous cystadenomas account for more tha n 75% of reported cases. While serous cystadenomas are almost uniformly ben ign, mucinous cystic tumors all have malignant potential and must be treate d as such. While both clinical and biochemical features can distinguish amo ng the various cystic pancreatic lesions, surgical resection is often requi red for both definitive diagnosis and treatment. When surgery is performed, benign lesions should be treated with pancreatic parenchymal sparing proce dures if anatomy permits. Standard surgical oncologic principles should be employed when treating indeterminate or malignant lesions.