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Background: Pancreatic cystic neoplasms (PCN) are being found increasingly in imaging studies. Even though the characteristics of PCN lesions have been studied extensively in single and multicentre settings, nationwide data is lacking. The aim of this study was to determine the nationwide epidemiologic characteristics and long-term survival of all resected PCNs., Methods: For this retrospective cohort analysis, all PCNs operated on in Finland during the period 2000-2008 were identified. Data was collected from all patients: on demographics, comorbidities, symptoms, radiological findings, surgical procedures, complications, histopathological diagnoses and survival. Incomplete pathology reports and any uncertain diagnoses were re-assessed. Survival data was collected after a five-year follow-up period., Results: The final database included 225 patients with operated PCN. After reviewing the incomplete pathology reports, in 44 cases the original diagnosis was changed, mostly from MCN to IPMN. The most common histopathological diagnoses were IPMN (94/225; 50/225 MD-IPMN, 30/225 MX-IPMN and 14/225 BD-IPMN), SCN (41/225) and MCN (40/225). Overall, 53/225 (23.6%) of the tumours were malignant. Malignancy was detected in MD-IPMN 29/50 (58%), MX-IPMN 10/30 (33.3%), MCN 12/40 (30%), BD-IPMN 2/14 (14.3%) patients. Median 5-year survival for all patients was 77%: 87% in patients without malignancy, 77% with HGD and 27% in patients with a malignant resected PCN., Conclusion: One fourth of the PCNs operated on nationwide were malignant, with a five-year survival of 27%, compared to overall survival of 87% in patients with non-malignant disease and 77% in those with HGD. Detecting - and operating on - a PCN before the malignant transfer remains a great challenge., (Copyright © 2019 IAP and EPC. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)