Introduction Somatostatinomas of the ampulla are rare neuroendocrine tumours with limited studies in the literature. These are often associated with familial genetic predisposition e.g. NF 1 and Von Hippel-Lindau Syndrome. Histology commonly shows classical features such as Psammoma bodies. The classical presentation with inhibitory syndrome is rare, but ampullary mass effects can cause an earl...

BACKGROUND Primary adenocarcinomas of the small intestine are rare, and the genetic mechanisms involved in their carcinogenesis remain unclear. AIM To examine the expression of candidate proteins in small intestinal adenocarcinomas by immunohistochemistry performed on tissue microarrays (TMAs). METHODS Twenty seven primary sporadic small intestinal adenocarcinomas were analysed. The TMA tec...

AIMS To investigate the prevalence of K-ras codon 12 point mutations in ampullary neoplasms, to explore their clinical usefulness, and to test whether the detection of these mutations could be used to identify ampullary malignancies at an early stage. METHODS Forty one tumour specimens from 28 patients with ampullary neoplasms were analysed for activating point mutations in K-ras codon 12 usi...

Ampullary carcinoma (AC) is a rare gastrointestinal tumor without clear treatment recommendations. The management of this tumor is usually extrapolated from the treatment of pancreatic, biliary duct and intestinal cancers. Few papers have studied the AC as an independent entity and yet succombs to several limitations. These studies were retrospective single institutional experiences with limite...

A 47-year-old Japanese male was submitted to pancreaticoduodenectomy for an ampullary cancer. Pathologically, the ampullary cancer was poorly cohesive adenocarcinoma without tubular structure. Moreover, locoregional lymph nodes were swollen with hypervascularity, plasmacytes infiltration, and hemorrhage. Our case seems to be different from usual poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma.

Obstructive jaundice can have various causes, and both neoplastic and non-neoplastic lesions have to be considered. In cases of malignant disease, the tumors are usually located in the extrahepatic bile ducts, the pancreatic head, or the ampulla of Vater [1]. In rare cases, the causative lesion originates from the duodenum [2,3]. A 67-year-old man presented with nonspecific right upper quadrant...

We report a large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma arising in the ampulla of Vater. The patient, a 74-year-old woman, presented with a 3-cm ulcerated mass located in the ampullary region. She died of disease 8 months after surgery. Microscopically, the tumor was extensively necrotic. It was composed of islands and trabeculae irregularly infiltrating the muscular wall of the duodenum. Neoplastic ce...