Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor masquerading as metastasis in a patient with esophageal cancer: Diagnosis by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration

Abstract

The role of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and guided biopsies has been well established for the locoregional staging of esophageal cancers. However, their role in posttreatment surveillance is unclear. Here, we describe a case of a pancreatic mass diagnosed on the follow-up positron emission tomography scan, concerning for a metastatic lesion. EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) helped in establishing the diagnosis of neuroendocrine tumor, which tends to have a similar sonographic appearance. Therefore, it is imperative to evaluate a suspicious mass seen on computed tomography/positron emission tomography scan. EUS and EUS-guided FNA can serve as useful modalities to confirm the diagnosis by cytopathology.

Keywords

• esophageal cancer
• endoscopic ultrasound
• fine-needle aspiration
• metastasis
• neuroendocrine tumor
• pancreas
• pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor
• positron emission tomography scan