Ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology of solid pseudopapillary tumor of the pancreas: a tertiary care centre experience

Background: Solid pseudopapillary tumours (SPT) of pancreas is an unusual neoplasm with uncertain malignant potential. It is seen predominantly in adolescent girls and young women. We present the clinical, ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (US-FNA) cytologic features, differential diagnosis and immunohistochemical findings in SPT. Methods: A retrospective 4-year (2007–2010) fine needle aspiration samples of 8 solid pseudopapillary tumours of pancreas were reviewed. Results: The entire cases were cured with exploratory laparotomy. This study includes 8 cases (1 male, 7 female) of solid pseudopapillary tumours of pancreas. All these cases showed characteristic cytomorphological features displaying hypercellular smears with presence of several papillary fragments lined by multilayered anisomorphic atypical cells having fine chromatin with delicate nuclear groove, myxoid stroma and foamy macrophages in a haemorrhagic background. Conclusions: Correct preoperative cytological diagnosis of solid pseudopapillary tumours of pancreas may be accurately possible by US-FNA technique and also aids in treatment of the surgically curable cancer in the patients.