Primary Non-Hodgkin S Lymphoma of the Pancreas: How Can We Differentiate It From Pancreatic Adenocarcinomas?

Background: primary pancreatic lymphoma (ppl) is a rare condition and its differentiation frommost commonly adenocarcinoma is very important because of different prognosis and treatmentstrategies. the aim of this study was presenting different aspects for differentiating ppl frompancreatic adenocarcinoma.materials and methods: during 14 months, 5 patients who underwent endoscopic ultrasonographyin our ward were recorded. demographic characteristics, laboratory and imaging findings wereevaluated. literature review was done.results: the duration of symptoms was between one to two months. the primary presentingsymptoms were abdominal pain, weight loss, jaundice and pruritus. all patient except onediagnosed as primary pancreatic lymphoma by eus-guided fine-needle aspiration. occasionalpresence of b-symptoms, larger size of the lesion, less occurrence of invasion to the large vesselsdespite larger size, less occurrence of obstructive jaundice (in spite of greater frequency in thehead of the pancreas) and normal or lower titer of ca19-9 may be useful keys for differentiatingprimary pancreatic lymphoma from pancreatic cancer.conclusion: although cytology or tissue histology is fundamental for the diagnosis, clinical, laboratoryand imaging findings may be valuable tools for differentiation ppl from pancreatic adenocarcinoma.keywords: non-hodgkin lymphoma, diagnosis, histology