World Journal of Surgical Oncology (Dec 2004)

Pancreatic metastasis from gastric carcinoma: a case report

  • Schirmacher Peter,
  • Fröhlich Boris E,
  • Bergmann Frank,
  • Wente Moritz N,
  • Büchler Markus W,
  • Friess Helmut

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7819-2-43
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 2, no. 1
p. 43

Abstract

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Abstract Background The pancreas is a rare but occasionally favored target for metastasis. Metastatic lesions in the pancreas have been described for various primary cancers, such as carcinomas of the lung, the breast, renal cell carcinoma and sarcomas. Case presentation We report the case of a 60-year old female with a mass in the pancreatic head four years after partial gastrectomy for gastric adenocarcinoma. The patient underwent a pancreatoduodenectomy. Pathological examination revealed metastases of the primary gastric carcinoma within the pancreatic head and in regional lymph nodes. Conclusions Pancreatic tumors in patients with a history of non-pancreatic malignancy should always be considered to be a putative metastatic lesion at an unusual site. If the pancreas can be identified as the only site of spread, radical resection may prolong survival.