Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40004001›Full record

ReviewInternational journal of molecular sciences2025

Autoimmune Pancreatitis Mimicking a Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor: A Case Report with a Literature Review.

Marianna Franchina, Liliana Dell'Oro, Sara Massironi

Abstract readCase ReportsReview
In one paragraph

Review in International journal of molecular sciences, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Marianna FranchinaDivision of Gastroenterology, ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII, 24127 Bergamo, Italy.
Liliana Dell'OroDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, Italy.
Sara MassironiDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, 20132 Milan, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-3214-8192

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is a rare chronic pancreatitis subtype that often mimics pancreatic cancer due to the overlapping clinical and radiological features, posing significant diagnostic challenges. Similarly, distinguishing AIP from pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (PanNENs), which present with nonspecific symptoms, adds complexity to clinical evaluations. We present the case of a 46-year-old male with recurrent acute idiopathic pancreatitis. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed a 25 mm hypodense mass in the pancreatic tail with mild arterial contrast enhancement. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed the mass to be hypointense on T2-weighted sequences, with no diffusion restriction and an enhancement pattern akin to normal pancreatic tissue. The endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle biopsy (EUS-FNB) was inconclusive. Gallium-68 DOTATATE positron emission tomography-CT (Ga-68 DOTATATE PET-CT) showed an increased tracer uptake, leading to a distal pancreatectomy with a splenectomy. Histopathology demonstrated chronic sclerotic pancreatitis with inflammatory infiltrates. Elevated serum IgG4 levels confirmed the diagnosis of type 1 AIP Differentiating AIP from pancreatic malignancies, including PanNENs, is both critical and complex. This case highlights a misdiagnosis of PanNENs in a patient with focal AIP, where neuroendocrine hyperplasia and islet cell clusters within fibrotic areas mimicked PanNENs, even on Ga-68 PET-CT. The findings emphasize the potential for false positives with Ga-68 DOTATATE PET-CT and the importance of integrating clinical, radiological, and histological data for an accurate diagnosis.

Indexed as

Autoimmune PancreatitisNeuroendocrine TumorsPancreatic NeoplasmsDiagnosis, DifferentialHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedPositron Emission Tomography Computed TomographyTomography, X-Ray Computedautoimmune pancreatitischronic pancreatitispancreatic neuroendocrine tumors

Identifiers

PMID40004001
PMCPMC11855540

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.