Primary Malignant Tumor of the Pancreas in a Fifteen-Month-Old Boy

PRIMARY malignant tumor of the pancreas is extremely rare in infancy and childhood. An extensive review of the literature disclosed only two primary sarcomas 1 and six primary carcinomas 2 with histological diagnostic confirmation. In all reported cases the disease has been fatal. The lymphosarcomas were located only in the pancreas and occurred in a 4-year-old boy and a 9-day-old girl. In the latter the disease was discovered at autopsy, after death had resulted from peritonitis and liver abscess secondary to an omphalitis and phlebitis of the umbilical vein. Of the six adenocarcinomas, three were described as cylindrical-cell, one was medullary, and two were not further classified. Three originated in the head of the pancreas, one in the head and body, one in the tail, and one was not localized. The tumor mass was palpated in two instances, jaundice was evident in two cases, diarrhea was striking in two cases,