Under the hypotheses that a more accurate patients selection could limit the problem of overtreatment and that benign intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN) have a distinguishable Endocrine/Metabolic/Inflammatory (EMI) profile from those with high-grade disease/invasive carcinoma, this study has three specific aims. The first aim is to evaluate and confirm the accuracy of the updated versions of International and European guidelines for the management of IPMN and it will be addressed by retrospectively applying the criteria included in the two guidelines on 350 patients with resected IPMN in order to determine the most accurate criteria to identify High Grade Dysplasia(HGD)/Invasive Carcinoma (IC).
The second aim is to identify pre-operative biological and/or radiological/endosonographic biomarker(s) able to distinguish low- versus high-risk IPMN for cancer progression in a prospective study by enrolling a cohort of 186 (of which 145 surgically-resected) patients.
The third aim is to prospectively validate biological and/or radiological/endosonographic biomarker(s) (previously identified and optimized) on a new cohort of 50 patients with IPMN undergoing surgical resection.
histologically proven IPMNs with full pathological data (type of IPMNs, grade of dysplasia; for invasive IPMNs: grading, pTNM classification, presence of perineural (microvascular infiltration)
availability of clinical and imaging criteria for surgical resections defined by International and European guidelines (worrisome features and high-risk stigmata according to International Guidelines and absolute/relative criteria for surgery according to European guidelines
age ≥18 years
Age >= 18 years
Charlson comorbidity index <7
indication for surgery for suspected IPMN