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World J Gastrointest Surg. Oct 27, 2010; 2(10): 306-313
Published online Oct 27, 2010. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v2.i10.306
Published online Oct 27, 2010. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v2.i10.306
Intraductal papillary-mucinous neoplasia of the pancreas: Histopathology and molecular biology
Caroline S Verbeke, Department of Histopathology, St James’s University Hospital, Leeds LS9 7TF, United Kingdom
Author contributions: Verbeke CS wrote this paper.
Correspondence to: Caroline S Verbeke, Department of Histopathology, St James’s University Hospital, Bexley Wing, Beckett Street, Leeds LS9 7TF, United Kingdom. caroline.verbeke@leedsth.nhs.uk
Telephone: +44-113-2067802 Fax: +44-113-2067610
Received: May 18, 2010
Revised: September 12, 2010
Accepted: September 19, 2010
Published online: October 27, 2010
Revised: September 12, 2010
Accepted: September 19, 2010
Published online: October 27, 2010
Abstract
Intraductal papillary-mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) of the pancreas is a clinically and morphologically distinctive precursor lesion of pancreatic cancer, characterized by gradual progression through a sequence of neoplastic changes. Based on the nature of the constituting neoplastic epithelium, degree of dysplasia and location within the pancreatic duct system, IPMNs are divided in several types which differ in their biological properties and clinical outcome. Molecular analysis and recent animal studies suggest that IPMNs develop in the context of a field-defect and reveal their possible relationship with other neoplastic precursor lesions of pancreatic cancer.