Granular cell tumor of the pancreas: A case report and review of literature

Granular cell tumors, also called Abrikossof's tumors, were originally described by Abrikossof A in 1926. The first case of a pancreatic granular cell tumor was described in 1975 and only 6 cases have been reported. We describe a case of granular cell tumor in the pancreas showing pancreatic duct obstruction. Because imaging studies showed findings compatible with those of pancreatic carcinoma, the patient underwent distal pancreatectomy. Histological examination showed that the tumor consisted of a nested growth of large tumor cells with ample granular cytoplasm and small round nuclei. The tumor cells expressed S-100 protein and were stained with neuron-specific enolase and periodic acid-Schiff, but were negative for desmin, vimentin, and cytokeratin. The resected tumor was diagnosed as a granular cell tumor. To our knowledge, this is the seventh case of Granular cell tumor of the pancreas to be reported. (C) 2010 Baishideng. All rights reserved.