Clear cell carcinoma of the pancreas

Abstract

A rare autopsy case of clear cell carcinoma of the pancreas developing in a 71-year-old Japanese male is described. He complained of epigastralgia and back pain and was clinically diagnosed as having primary pancreatic cancer. After death due to disseminated metastasis and cachexy, autopsy revealed pancreatic clear cell carcinoma metastasizing to various organs including the lungs (lymphoangiosis carcinomatosa). The tumor was almost entirely composed of clear cells with cytoplasm weakly positive for PAS and alcian blue, and negative for Sudan III stains. Histological differential diagnosis from the clear cell carcinoma of other organs, especially that of kidney, is also mentioned.