Relationships between chronic pancreatitis with mass in the head and pancreatic carcinoma ZHANG Bo ,NI Quan-xing. Pancreatic Disease Institution, Department of General Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China Corresponding author: NI Quan-xing, E-mail：tomchang 202@yahoo.com.cn Abstract It is difficult to identify chronic pancreatitis with mass in the head with pancreatic carcinoma. It has the potential for malignant change. In the progress of hyperblastosis and atrophy based on chronic pancreatitis, cancer gene stimulated and anti-cancer gene inactivation may be the causes of canceration. In spite of more clinical examinations including CT、MRI、ERCP、EUS（FNA） and PET-CT can help to make differential diagnosis between the both, it is still difficult in making diagnosis because of their disadvantages. So the surgery is the only method of making final diagnosis of pancreatic cancer or chronic pancreatitis with mass in the head.