Bilateral lung metastasectomy in carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater

Abstract

The efficacy of lung metastasectomy is well established in several cancers, including colorectal cancer. However, little is known about the result of lung metastasectomy in carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater. Only two case reports have reported the efficacy of metastasectomy in ampullary cancer patients with pulmonary metastasis. We report the result of bilateral lung metastasectomy in a patient with ampullary cancer. A 63-year-old woman underwent pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy for carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater. About three years after the surgery, two non-calcified lung nodules in the right lower and left upper lobes had developed. Wedge resections of both lung nodules were performed and the pathological examination showed that the lung nodules were pulmonary metastases from the ampullary cancer. Ten years after the lung surgery, the patient is well and there is no evidence of recurrence. Surgical resection could be considered in patients with pulmonary metastasis from ampulla of Vater cancer, even when the metastases are bilateral.