Primary carcinoid tumour of the pancreas

Pancreatic carcinoid tumours are extremely infrequent. Usually, the biological behaviour is indolent and diagnosis is late and often casual. We present the case of a patient initially diagnosed as having liver metastasis of unknown origin. PET identified a primary pancreatic site and the initial histologic diagnosis was adenocarcinoma. Following an uncertain response to chemo- and radio-therapy the repeat histologic assessment indicated a carcinoid tumour of the pancreas. After complete surgical resection and liver transplantation, patient remains free of disease. Conclusions: The co-existence of several diseases with similar morpho-structural features makes diagnosis complicated. PET is of uncertain use in the evaluation of carcinoid tumours, and is considered inferior to¹¹¹Indium-octreotide scan. The only curative treatment is surgical resection, with liver transplantation as a valid option in the treatment of these tumours.