Diagnostic imagings of malignant lymphoma of the pancreas with obstructive jaundice

We performed pancreatoduodenectomy in a 41-year-old man with pancreatic malignant lymphoma, who began to have obstructive jaundice and in whom imaging showed a tumor of the head of the pancreas with extrapancreatic growth. The tumor was 8 x 8.5 x 4 cm in size. The histopathological findings of the tumor indicated a malignant lymphoma, non-Hodgkin, diffuse large cell type. The patient was discharged after receiving nine courses of postoperative chemotherapy with VEPA. It is very important in determing the surgical indication to preoperatively differentiate malignant lymphoma from pancreatic cancer, since malignant lymphoma originating from the gastrointestinal organs can, in some cases, be almost completely repaired if the tumor is removed in the early stage. Thus, it is possible to achieve effective multidisciplinary treatment for malignant lymphoma by performing closer preoperative examinations and taking into consideration the possibility of the existence of malignant lymphoma. This paper discusses the details of the imaging necessary to differentiate pancreatic malignant lymphoma. (author)