Splenic infarction. A rare presentation of anaplastic pancreatic carcinoma and a review of the literature.

Context: Anaplastic carcinoma of the pancreas is a rare variant of ductal adenocarcinoma. The histogenesis and biologic behavior of these tumors are still controversial. They occur in elderly men and are associated with a very poor prognosis.

Case Report: We report a case of advanced anaplastic carcinoma in a 41-year-old man who presented with splenic infarction. He had a prolonged survival of 16 months from diagnosis.

Conclusion: Splenic infarction is a most unusual acute presentation of pancreatic carcinoma, which may require emergency tumor resection and splenectomy.