Surgical treatment for solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas in children: experience at a center

Objective: To evaluate the surgical outcomes of solid pseudopapillary neoplasms (SPNs) of the pancreas in children at the Vietnam National Children's Hospital. Methods: This study was a descriptive case series that retrospectively analyzed 26 patients diagnosed with pancreatic SPNs who underwent surgical treatment at the National Children's Hospital between January 2021 and May 2024. Results: The average age of onset in children was 10.9 years (range 7-15 years), with a predominance in females (88.5%). The main clinical symptoms were epigastric pain and left hypochondrial pain (80.5%). Computed tomography (CT) revealed that the tumors were located in the head of the pancreas in 12 of 26 patients (46.2%) and in the body and tail of the pancreas in 14 of 26 patients (53.3%). The average tumor size was 5.6 cm (range 2-12 cm), with the majority having a mixed structure in 18 out of 26 patients (69.2%). All patients underwent open surgery with an intraoperative complication rate of 30.8%. The most common postoperative complication was exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, occurring in 45% of the cases. No cases of early recurrence or postoperative mortality were observed. Conclusion: SPNs are rare pancreatic tumors with low malignancy, minimal invasiveness, and low metastasis and recurrence rates. Therefore, surgery is a safe and effective treatment for children, with low complication rates.