Case series of metastatic pancreatic tumors: Special reference to the surgical indication according to preoperative imaging findings and long-term outcome

Abstract

Generally, the prognosis of patients with metastatic tumors is poor and surgical indications for metastatic malignant lesions are still controversial. Surgical indications for metastatic pancreatic tumor and long-term outcome have not been well documented. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 6 patients who underwent pancreatectomy for metastatic pancreatic tumor at our institution between 1999 and 2014. Primary lesions were renal cell carcinoma in 3 patients, breast cancer in 1 patient, leiomyosarcoma in 1 patient, and lung cancer in 1 patient. The interval between resection for primary lesions and pancreatectomy ranged from 4 to 21 years. The survival period after pancreatectomy ranged from 2 to 11 years (median, 5.5 years). Of the 6 patients, 4 patients survived over 5 years. This suggests that pancreatectomy for metastatic pancreatic tumor is a feasible option, if the primary lesions are well-controllable renal cell carcinoma, breast cancer, or leiomyosarcoma.