Rare Pancreatic Tumor Successfully Removed from 10-Year-Old Girl in Pune

Successful surgery performed at Manipal Hospital, Baner; girl returns to school after recovery

Pune: Cancer surgeons at Manipal Hospital in Baner, Pune, successfully removed a rare tumor from the pancreas of a 10-year-old girl. With this case, the girl has become one of the youngest patients in India diagnosed with Solid Pseudopapillary Neoplasm (SPN) of the pancreas. Notably, the tumor had shown no symptoms in her body. It was discovered unexpectedly after she suffered an abdominal injury during a karate class at school.

After conducting several tests including imaging and biopsy, doctors diagnosed Solid Pseudopapillary Neoplasm (SPN). This is a rare and low-grade malignant pancreatic tumor which, if completely removed, has a very high chance of full recovery. SPN accounts for only 1–3% of all pancreatic tumors, and it affects approximately one in a million people each year. The condition is usually seen in young women, typically between the teenage years and 30 years of age, making its diagnosis in young children extremely rare.

The girl had shown no symptoms of the disease and was regularly attending school and performing her daily activities. The diagnosis therefore came as a major shock to her parents. Before deciding on surgery, the family consulted doctors at several hospitals.

Speaking about the case, Dr. Amit Parasnis, Head of Surgical Oncology and Consultant at Manipal Hospital, Baner, said:
“During the surgery, after carefully assessing the structure of the pancreas, we decided to perform a central pancreatectomy. This allowed us to preserve the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine) and a portion of the pancreas, while avoiding a major and complex procedure like the Whipple procedure.

The pancreas lies very close to critical blood vessels, and children cannot tolerate significant blood loss, making the surgery technically very challenging. However, we were able to safely remove the tumor with minimal blood loss while preserving pancreatic function. The patient has now fully recovered, has returned to school, and resumed her daily activities. We are confident she will be able to live a normal life.”

Pancreatic tumors can often remain in the body for a long time without showing any symptoms and are sometimes discovered incidentally during tests conducted for other reasons. Managing such rare diseases—especially in children—requires timely diagnosis and treatment by a multidisciplinary medical team.

Anand Mote, Cluster Director of Manipal Hospital, Baner, said:
“At Manipal Hospitals, our multidisciplinary team of specialists in advanced cancer therapy, gastroenterology, and pediatric surgery, supported by state-of-the-art technology, works with a patient-centric approach. We focus particularly on providing safe and effective care in complex and rare medical cases.”
The surgery was successfully performed by Dr. Amit Parasnis (Surgical Oncology) along with Anesthesiologist Dr. Ashish Pathak, Pediatric Intensivist Dr. Pooja Gire, and a multidisciplinary medical team.