Penile metastases originating from a pancreatic primary tumor: a case report

Abstract

Penile metastases are exceedingly rare. When they occur, they typically arise from a primary tumor in the genitourinary system. Here, we report a case of biopsy-proven penile metastasis originating from a primary pancreatic adenocarcinoma. A 67-year-old man presented with a 5-month history of progressive penile pain and difficulty urinating. Several penile corporeal nodules and plaques were present and a biopsy of a lesion was consistent with metastatic adenocarcinoma. Computed tomography of the abdomen revealed a 6. 3-cm infiltrative mass of the pancreatic body. Fine needle aspirate of the mass was consistent with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The pathology specimens from the pancreatic mass and penile nodule were cytologically identical. The patient was offered palliative radiation to the penis for pain control. External beam radiation was carried out successfully to this challenging location with the use of a custom setup. Following radiation therapy, the patient reported a 70-80 % decrease in pain and nearly all of the clinically evident penile disease had cleared. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of penile metastases originating from a pancreatic adenocarcinoma reported in the USA and the second case ever reported worldwide. © 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.