Resumen:
Background and aim: fifty to 70 percent of pancreatic neuro-endocrine tumors are diagnosed incidentally. The objective of this study was to compare the phenotype and oncologi-cal outcomes of incidental versus symptomatic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Methods: a retrospective study was performed, identifying all incidental and symptomatic tumors resected between 2000 and 2019. Baseline characteristics, symptoms, oper-ative variables and pathological stage were all recorded. Patterns of recurrence and overall and disease-free survival were analyzed in both groups. Results: fifty-one incidental and 45 symptomatic pancreat-ic tumor resections were performed. Symptomatic tumors were more frequent in females (29 vs 17; p = 0.005) and younger patients (median years; 50 vs 58; p = 0.012) and were detected at a more advanced stage (p = 0.027). There were no differences in location and most resections (n = 49; 51 %) were performed laparoscopically. There were no operative mortalities and 17 (17.7 %) severe com-plications (>_ IIIb on the Clavien-Dindo classification) were recorded with no differences between the two groups. With a median follow-up of 64.4 months (range 13.5-90), overall survival at five and ten years was 89.7 % and 72.8 % for the non-incidental tumors and 80.9 % and 54.6 % for the incidental tumors (p = ns), respectively. Disease-free survival in both groups (excluding M1a) was 71.2 % and 47.5 %, and 93.7 % and 78.1 %, respectively (p = ns). Conclusions: symptomatic tumors are more frequent in females and present at more advanced pathological stag-es. There were no significant differences in overall and disease-free survival between the two groups. Resection of incidental tumors >_ 1.5-2 cm seems advisable, although each case should be assessed on an individual basis.
