Adult pancreatic cavernous hemangioma: case presentation of a benign tumor with a complex composition

Pancreatic cavernous hemangioma is an extremely rare benign tumor that is difficult to diagnose on an imaging examination, and its histopathological examination has rarely been reported.

Herein, we present the case of a 63-year-old man who was admitted to the hospital due to left upper abdominal pain and defecation unformed for more than 2 years. None of the positive results obtained from the physical examination could explain his symptoms. The imaging examination indicated a multilocular cyst with septa in the head of the pancreas. The patient underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy, and the pathologic diagnosis was pancreatic cavernous hemangioma. The histopathological examination showed that the lesion was positive for benign vascular markers, such as CD31, CD34 and F8, and negative for lymphocyte markers, such as D2–40. Moreover, it was also positive for ERG and cytokeratin markers, CAM5.2 and AE1/AE3, indicating the complexity of its components, and Ki-67 negativity revealed its benign nature.

Pancreatic cavernous hemangioma has a complex composition that may be reflected not only in the imaging examination but also in the immunohistochemical detection, and it may achieve a good outcome by surgical excision.