Pancreatic lipoma : a not so rare entity

Pancreatic neoplasms are well-known pathological entities with generally poor prognosis. Mesenchymal tumors comprise 1 to 2% of all pancreatic tumors, and lipomas are a very rare variant of them. There are benign mesenchymal tumors consisting of mature adipose cells and thin collagen capsule. Most of the cases are gen- erally published as sporadic case reports. The present review aims to elucidate the morphological entity named pancreatic lipoma, which is nearly unknown to most of surgeons. We estimate that pancreatic lipomas may be more common than previously realized, as small incidental lipomas may not have been reported in the literature to date. (Acta gastroenterol. belg., 2009, 72, 235-237).