Lymphoepithelial Cyst of the Pancreas: A Rare Case Report and Review of Literature

Abstract

Lymphoepithelial cysts are rare pancreatic lesions of undetermined pathogenesis. The literature on this entity is limited to case reports or small series. We describe a case of 66 year male, incidentally diagnosed as lymphoepithelial cyst of pancreas that was managed by enucleation. This is the first case report of lymphoepithelial cyst from India. An extensive Medline search was carried out for lymphoepithelial cyst of pancreas. Till date less than 100 cases were identified in available literature. All these cases (including our case) were analyzed. This entity has uniform and distinctive clinicopathological features. About half of the reported cases were asymptomatic with most of the lesions diagnosed incidentally. Majority of patients presents with non-specific symptoms making preoperative diagnosis difficult. Lymphoepithelial cyst of the pancreas is a rare benign lesion, which is difficult to diagnose preoperatively. High index of suspicion and preoperative fine needle aspiration cytology may help in making diagnosis and avoiding surgery in asymptomatic patients