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Serial pancreatic juice aspiration cytological examination (SPACE) via endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography is a useful diagnostic method for early-stage pancreatic cancer, such as carcinoma in situ that are difficult to diagnose by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA). However, the diagnostic accuracy of SPACE is low, which is attributed to problems regarding specimen treatment. Hence, we evaluated the diagnostic efficacy of liquid-based cytology (LBC) in pancreatic juice cytology for pancreatic cancer.We retrospectively analyzed 24 patients with suspected pancreatic cancer that was difficult to diagnose by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration who underwent SPACE using LBC between April 2017 and April 2021.The most common reason for performing SPACE was localized stenosis of the main pancreatic duct without a mass. Eleven patients were diagnosed with malignancy after surgical resection, nine of whom had pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Ten patients were diagnosed as benign after a follow-up of more than 1 year. The nine cases of malignancy were diagnosed before surgical resection by SPACE using LBC, with a sensitivity of 81.8% and specificity of 100%. The overall diagnostic accuracy was 91.7%. A total of 152 LBC examinations were performed via SPACE, with an adequate sample collection rate of 88.9%. No adverse events, including acute pancreatitis, occurred after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography.SPACE with LBC offers good diagnostic efficacy in patients with pancreatic cancer that is difficult to diagnose by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration.

We herein report a 52-year-old man with multiple hypoechoic lesions in the body and tail of the pancreas detected during a screening ultrasound. Computed tomography (CT) showed no lesions other than those in the pancreas and peripheral lymph nodes. Contrast-enhanced CT identified hypovascular tumors in the pancreas. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) demonstrated partial fibrosis and noncaseating granulomas with Langhans giant cells. To our knowledge, this is the first report of isolated pancreatic sarcoidosis diagnosed by EUS-FNA. Although pancreatic sarcoidosis is very rare, clinicians should be aware of this possibility in patients presenting with multiple hypovascular pancreatic tumors.

Contrast medium-enhanced computed tomography revealed a mass in the liver of a 65-year-old man. The edge but not the center of the mass was enhanced. Ultrasonography-guided percutaneous needle biopsy revealed the diagnosis of angiosarcoma of the liver, and it was treated with chemotherapy. Angiosarcoma of the liver has various appearances on imaging and is not often diagnosed while patients are alive. If the tumor is difficult to diagnose by imaging and thought to be unresectable, a biopsy can help in guiding treatment, but treatment should be adapted with caution.

The preparation of a mixed oxide gel composed of silica and magnesia was attempted by a coating method in order to develop a useful column packing material for liquid chromatography. The physical properties of the gels obtained remained almost the same as those of the native silica gel, but the surface silanol groups and the acid strength both changed, depending on the preparation conditions. The chromatographic behaviour of the gels was tested using benzene, dimethyl phthalate, pyridine and phenol as solutes. The magnesia-coated silicas calcined at temperatures between 600 and 800°C exhibited the excellent separation abilities for these compounds.