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©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Nov 21, 2025; 31(43): 111393
Published online Nov 21, 2025. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i43.111393
Published online Nov 21, 2025. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i43.111393
Cystic tumors of the pancreas: Current perspectives on diagnosis and management
Nadica Shumka, Petko I Karagyozov, Department of Interventional Gastroenterology, Clinic of Gastroenterology, Acibadem City Clinic University Hospital Tokuda, Sofia 1407, Bulgaria
Co-first authors: Nadica Shumka and Petko I Karagyozov.
Author contributions: Shumka N conceptualized the minireview; Shumka N and Karagyozov PI reviewed the literature and drafted the manuscript; Both authors revised and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Nadica Shumka, MD, Doctor, Department of Interventional Gastr
Received: June 30, 2025
Revised: July 24, 2025
Accepted: October 17, 2025
Published online: November 21, 2025
Processing time: 144 Days and 15.9 Hours
Revised: July 24, 2025
Accepted: October 17, 2025
Published online: November 21, 2025
Processing time: 144 Days and 15.9 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Pancreatic cystic lesions are increasingly detected in clinical practice, yet their diagnosis and management remain challenging due to overlapping imaging features, variable malignant potential, and limitations in current diagnostic tools. This minireview provides an up-to-date overview of classification systems, diagnostic strategies, including imaging, cyst fluid analysis, and molecular testing, as well as international guideline recommendations. It also highlights emerging technologies such as radiomics and next-generation sequencing. Emphasis is placed on the urgent need for cost-effective, accurate, and patient-focused risk stratification models to guide personalized surveillance and therapeutic decisions.