Endoscopic approach to the diagnosis of pancreatic cystic tumor.

Because of the aging of the population, prevalence of medical checkups, and advances in imaging studies, the number of pancreatic cystic lesions detected has increased. Once these lesions are detected, neoplastic cysts should be differentiated from non-neoplastic cysts. Furthermore, because of the malignant potential of some neoplastic pancreatic cysts, further differentiation between benign and malignant cysts should be made regardless of their size. Although endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has a very high diagnostic performance for pancreatic cystic lesions among the various imaging modalities, EUS findings alone are insufficient for the differentiation of pancreatic cysts and diagnosis of malignancy. In addition, cytology by EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) has a high specificity but a low sensitivity for diagnosing malignancy in pancreatic cystic tumors. The levels of amylase, lipase, and tumor markers in pancreatic cystic fluid are considered auxiliary parameters for diagnosis of benign and malignant cysts, and a definitive diagnosis of malignancy using these parameters is difficult. Thus, in addition to EUS, cytology by EUS-FNA, and cystic fluid analysis, new techniques based on EUS-guided through-the-needle imaging, such as confocal laser endomicroscopy and cystoscopy, have been explored in recent years.