Pancreatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia. Surg Pathol Clin 2011 Jun;4(2):523-35
Date
06/01/2011Pubmed ID
26837486DOI
10.1016/j.path.2011.03.005Scopus ID
2-s2.0-79957643916 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 17 CitationsAbstract
Pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasias (PanINs) are microscopic lesions of the pancreas. Traditionally viewed as a benign metaplasia of small ducts, evidence suggests that PanINs are neoplastic and that some PanINs progress to invasive ductal adenocarcinoma. The primary diagnostic challenge is distinguishing PanINs from other lesions, including invasive ductal adenocarcinoma, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm, and cancerization of benign ducts. PanINs are the most common of the pancreatic cancer precursor lesions, yet they remain poorly understood and are so small that they are almost clinically undetectable. Further study is required to define the role of PanINs in the carcinogenesis and early detection of pancreatic cancer.
