Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the pancreas – when and how to operate?

Described for the first time in 1982, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms have been widely studied so far. According to the site of origin and location, it seems that these tumors have a specific risk of malignisation and therefore their type of treatment as well as the moment in which it should be applied should be carefully tailored. In this respect, multiple therapeutic strategies have been proposed, ranging from follow up and limited excision to total pancreatectomy. The current paper is a literature review of the largest studies conducted on the theme of the therapeutic strategies in intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms.