Imaging of Malignant and Benign Tumors of the Pancreas

Pancreatic cross-sectional imaging has been widely used to diagnose and stage pancreatic neoplasms. The most commonly used techniques include multidetector CT, MRI, and endoscopic ultrasonography. Hybrid imaging including positron emission tomography combined with CT has a limited role. Dedicated imaging applications of these modalities for the evaluation of pancreatic neoplasms and their accuracies for different neoplasms are summarized in this review. Critical and differential imaging findings of the most common neoplasms of the pancreas, including adenocarcinoma, neuroendocrine tumors, cystic neoplasms, lymphoma, and metastases, emphasizing the most accurate imaging techniques are also discussed. Additionally, the most common mimics of the pancreatic neoplasms and their imaging findings are reviewed. This review contains 32 references, 13 figures, and 5 tables. Key words: adenocarcinoma, CT, EUS, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm, mucinous cystic neoplasm, MRI, neuroendocrine tumors, PET-CT, serous cystadenoma