Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the pancreas: A 10-year experience at a single center

Background: The incidence of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) of the pancreas has increased over the past years along with the development of diagnostic imaging tests. Objective: The aim of this study is to describe our experience on long-term management of patients with IPMNs in a reference center. Material and methods: We conducted a retrospective and descriptive analysis of patients with pancreatic neoplasms followed-up at the Department of General Surgery and Hepato-Biliary Surgery, Hospital Universitario Fundación Favaloro, between January 2010 and December 2019. The patients were classified into 2 groups: group A (diagnosis of IPMN made in the outpatient clinic), and group B (diagnosis of IPMN in the pathological examination). Results: Eighty-six patients were analyzed: 79 (90%) in group A and 7 in group B. In group A, a watchful waiting with monitoring (AM) was decided in 57 cases (66%). Of the remaining 22 patients, 18 (29%) patients underwent surgery (AS) and 4 are waiting for surgery. Survival at 5 years was 89% in group AM, 86% in group AS and 43% in group B (Breslow 0.001, log-rank test 0,001 vs. group A). Conclusion: The diagnosis and management of IPMNs is currently standardized. Surgery is indicated in MD-IPMN and mixed type IPMN. Patients with BD-IPMN type should be monitored due to the risk of malignant transformation. When surgery is indicated, long-term survival should be similar to that of the surveillance group.