Anaplastic Carcinoma of the Pancreas: Clinical and Morphological Characteristics

Abstract

Anaplastic pancreatic carcinoma is a very rare histological subtype of pancreatic cancer, which is characterized by a more aggressive course than for conventional ductal adenocarcinoma. In this article, we consider the features of the clinical course, the difficulties of diagnosis in connection with the absence of pathognomonic signs of pancreatic cancer, and the morphological picture of this disease in a patient 60 years of age. This clinical case clearly demonstrates the complexities of the pancreatic carcinoma diagnosis, fast disease progression, and extremely unfavorable prognosis. It is important for clinicians to remember that this pathology often has a subclinical course, and the oncomarker levels are not always true.

Keywords

• undifferentiated pancreatic cancer
• oncomarker
• α-fetoprotein
• carcinoembryonic antigen
• anaplastic pancreatic cancer