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

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.