Pancreatic Cyst Clinic
MD Anderson’s Pancreatic Cyst Clinic provides monitoring and treatment for patients with both low- and high-risk cysts.
What are pancreatic cysts?
Pancreatic cysts are fluid-filled sacs in or on the pancreas. Causes include pancreatic inflammation (pancreatitis) and genetic mutations in pancreas cells.
Pancreatic cysts start as benign, or not cancerous. Some can turn into cancer over time. These are called precancerous cysts.
Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN) and mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCN) are the most common precancerous pancreatic cysts. Through various tests and exams, doctors can determine the risk of these cysts turning into cancer.
Most pancreatic cysts do not transform into cancer, but all cysts can cause health problems and should be monitored.
Pancreatic cyst treatment
Patients at the Pancreatic Cyst Clinic are individually evaluated. Care plans are designed based on each patient’s medical history, imaging exams and test results.
Patients with low-risk cysts undergo long-term surveillance. This includes imaging, blood tests and symptom monitoring.
Treating high-risk pancreatic cysts requires a team of experts. These patients are matched to doctors with special expertise in their specific type of cyst. Care teams may include surgeons, gastroenterologists, radiologists, pathologists and advance practice providers.
High-risk patients may also undergo a review by the full Pancreatic Cyst Clinic team. Recommendations from this group could include:
- additional imaging
- a cyst biopsy, or retrieval and examination of cyst cells for the presence of cancer
- cyst fluid analysis
- ongoing surveillance
- surgery to remove the cyst
Pancreatic cysts: What they are and how they’re treated
Pancreatic Cyst Clinic team
Leadership
Michael Kim, M.D.
Surgical Director
Manoop Bhutani, M.D.
Medical Director
Virginia Doherty, PA-C
Co-director, Low Risk Pancreatic Cyst Clinic
Jocelyn Gomez, APRN
Co-directors, Low Risk Pancreatic Cyst Clinic
