Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics of mass-forming chronic pancreatitis and its diagnosis and treatment.  
Methods: The clinical data of 16 patients with mass-forming chronic pancreatitis treated from 2010 to 2018 were retrospectively analyzed.  
Results: Of the patients, 13 were males and 3 were females, with a median age of 48.5 years at their admission. The main clinical manifestations were abdominal pain and jaundice. The CA19-9 level was slightly elevated in 6 cases (47.85–235.95 U/mL). All patients underwent abdominal CT scan, and all presented with space-occupying lesion of the pancreas, of which, chronic pancreatitis was considered in 3 cases (18.8%); some patients underwent B ultrasound, ERCP or other examinations, which mainly suggested space-occupying lesion in the pancreas, but lacked characteristic evidence. All the 16 patients underwent surgical treatment, which included pancreaticoduodenectomy in 11 cases, distal pancreatectomy plus splenectomy in 4 cases, and local resection of the mass in the head of the pancreas with duodenum preservation plus internal drainage by pancreaticojejunostomy and choledochojejunostomy. The symptoms were significantly improved in all patients after surgery, and no complications such as pancreatic fistula, biliary fistula and abdominal hemorrhage occurred. Postoperative follow-up was conducted for an average of 3 years, and the surgical results were satisfactory.
Conclusion: The clinical and imaging features of mass-forming chronic pancreatitis are highly similar to those of pancreatic carcinoma, so it is more likely to be misdiagnosed. Comprehensive assessment should be made by combination of disease history, clinical manifestations, and laboratory results as well as imaging and histopathological findings. Surgical intervention can provide acceptable results.