Metastasis to the pancreas: characterization by morphology and contrast enhancement features on CT and MRI

Pancreatic metastasis of leiomyoma found 27 years after uterine fibroid surgery

A 59-year-old female was referred to our hospital for pancreatic tumor. She had undergone resection of uterine fibroids 27 years ago, and leiomyoma in the left thigh 8 years ago. Tumor markers were normal. A well-defined hypoechoic tumor measuring 26 mm × 22 mm was detected at the pancreatic tail using ultrasound. Inside the tumor, a small cystic structure was observed. High-sensitivity Doppler imaging revealed faint signals indicating blood flow from the periphery to the interior. Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography in the arterial phase revealed slow, heterogenous enhancement from the periphery to the center of the mass that occurred later than that in the pancreatic parenchyma. The tumor then exhibited homogeneous enhancement except for the periphery, with subsequent washout. Endoscopic ultrasound-fine-needle aspiration was performed. Histopathological examination diagnosed a leiomyoma. The left thigh tumor resected 8 years ago had been diagnosed as benign metastatic leiomyoma (BML). We considered that the current pancreatic tumor was also BML clinically. We report this case because pancreatic metastasis from uterine fibroids is extremely rare. Uterine fibroids are benign tumors, but there are rare cases of metastasis to various organs, which should be considered when performing ultrasound.

Rare Solid Pancreatic Lesions on Cross-Sectional Imaging

Several solid lesions can be found within the pancreas mainly arising from the exocrine and endocrine pancreatic tissue. Among all pancreatic malignancies, the most common subtype is pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), to a point that pancreatic cancer and PDAC are used interchangeably. But, in addition to PDAC, and to the other most common and well-known solid lesions, either related to benign conditions, such as pancreatitis, or not so benign, such as pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (pNENs), there are solid pancreatic lesions considered rare due to their low incidence. These lesions may originate from a cell line with a differentiation other than exocrine/endocrine, such as from the nerve sheath as for pancreatic schwannoma or from mesenchymal cells as for solitary fibrous tumour. These rare solid pancreatic lesions may show a behaviour that ranges in a benign to highly aggressive malignant spectrum. This review includes cases of an intrapancreatic accessory spleen, pancreatic tuberculosis, solid serous cystadenoma, solid pseudopapillary tumour, pancreatic schwannoma, purely intraductal neuroendocrine tumour, pancreatic fibrous solitary tumour, acinar cell carcinoma, undifferentiated carcinoma with osteoclastic-like giant cells, adenosquamous carcinoma, colloid carcinoma of the pancreas, primary leiomyosarcoma of the pancreas, primary and secondary pancreatic lymphoma and metastases within the pancreas. Therefore, it is important to determine the correct diagnosis to ensure optimal patient management. Because of their rarity, their existence is less well known and, when depicted, in most cases incidentally, the correct diagnosis remains challenging. However, there are some typical imaging features present on cross-sectional imaging modalities that, taken into account with the clinical and biological context, contribute substantially to achieve the correct diagnosis.

Comments on and Illustrations of the EFSUMB CEUS Guidelines: Transabdominal and Endoscopic Ultrasound Features of Intrapancreatic Metastases and the Role of Multiparametric Imaging and EUS-Guided Sampling in Rare Pancreatic Tumors

A definite pathologic diagnosis of intrapancreatic metastasis is crucial for the management decision, i.e., curative or palliative surgery versus chemotherapy or conservative/palliative therapy. This review focuses on the appearance of intrapancreatic metastases on native and contrast-enhanced transabdominal ultrasound and endoscopic ultrasound. Differences and similarities in relation to the primary tumor, and the differential diagnosis from pancreatic carcinoma and neuroendocrine neoplasms are described. The frequency of intrapancreatic metastases in autopsy studies and surgical resection studies will be discussed. Further emphasis is placed on endoscopic ultrasound-guided sampling to confirm the diagnosis.

An End-to-End Data-Adaptive Pancreas Segmentation System with an Image Quality Control Toolbox

With the development of radiology and computer technology, diagnosis by medical imaging is heading toward precision and automation. Due to complex anatomy around the pancreatic tissue and high demands for clinical experience, the assisted pancreas segmentation system will greatly promote clinical efficiency. However, the existing segmentation model suffers from poor generalization among images from multiple hospitals. In this paper, we propose an end-to-end data-adaptive pancreas segmentation system to tackle the problems of lack of annotations and model generalizability. The system employs adversarial learning to transfer features from labeled domains to unlabeled domains, seeking a dynamic balance between domain discrimination and unsupervised segmentation. The image quality control toolbox is embedded in the system, which standardizes image quality in terms of intensity, field of view, and so on, to decrease heterogeneity among image domains. In addition, the system implements a data-adaptive process end-to-end without complex operations by doctors. The experiments are conducted on an annotated public dataset and an unannotated in-hospital dataset. The results indicate that after data adaptation, the segmentation performance measured by the dice similarity coefficient on unlabeled images improves from 58.79% to 75.43%, with a gain of 16.64%. Furthermore, the system preserves quantitatively structured information such as the pancreas’ size and volume, as well as objective and accurate visualized images, which assists clinicians in diagnosing and formulating treatment plans in a timely and accurate manner.

Multiscale unsupervised domain adaptation for automatic pancreas segmentation in CT volumes using adversarial learning

PURPOSE

Computer-aided automatic pancreas segmentation is essential for early diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic diseases. However, the annotation of pancreas images requires professional doctors and considerable expenditure. Due to imaging differences among various institution population, scanning devices and imaging protocols etc., significant degradation in the performance of model inference results is prone to occur when models trained with domain-specific (usually institution-specific) datasets are directly applied to new (other centers/institutions) domain data. In this paper, we propose a novel unsupervised domain adaptation method based on adversarial learning to address pancreas segmentation challenges with the lack of annotations and domain shift interference.

METHODS

A 3D semantic segmentation model with attention module and residual module is designed as the backbone pancreas segmentation model. In both segmentation model and domain adaptation discriminator network, a multiscale progressively weighted structure is introduced to acquire different field of views. Features of labeled data and unlabeled data are fed in pairs into the proposed multiscale discriminator to learn domain-specific characteristics. Then the unlabeled data features with pseudo-domain label are fed to the discriminator to acquire domain-ambiguous information. With this adversarial learning strategy, the performance of the segmentation network is enhanced to segment unseen unlabeled data.

RESULTS

Experiments were conducted on two public annotated datasets as source datasets respectively and one private dataset as target dataset, where annotations were not used for the training process but only for evaluation. The 3D segmentation model achieves comparative performance with state-of-the-art pancreas segmentation methods on source domain. After implementing our domain adaptation architecture, the average Dice Similarity Coefficient(DSC) of the segmentation model trained on the NIH-TCIA source dataset increases from 58.79% to 72.73% on the local hospital dataset, while the performance of the target domain segmentation model transferred from the MSD source dataset rises from 62.34% to 71.17%.

CONCLUSIONS

Correlation of features across data domains are utilized to train the pancreas segmentation model on unlabeled data domain, improving the generalization of the model. Our results demonstrate that the proposed method enables the segmentation model to make meaningful segmentation for unseen data of the training set. In the future, the proposed method has the potential to apply segmentation model trained on public dataset to clinical unannotated CT images from local hospital, effectively assisting radiologists in clinical practice. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Efficacy of Contrast-Enhanced Harmonic Endoscopic Ultrasound for Pancreatic Solid Tumors with a Combination of Qualitative and Quantitative Analyses: A Prospective Pilot Study

INTRODUCTION

Image evaluation of contrast-enhanced harmonic endoscopic ultrasound (CEH-EUS) and additional time-intensity curve (TIC) analysis enable qualitative and quantitative analyses of pancreatic tumor based on real-time perfusion imaging.

AIMS

To evaluate the efficacy of CEH-EUS with a combination of qualitative and quantitative analyses of pancreatic solid tumors.

METHODS

Patients were scheduled to undergo EUS-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) for pancreatic solid tumors were prospectively enrolled between 11/2016 and 12/2018 and underwent CEH-EUS. The vascular and enhancement patterns were qualitatively evaluated and heterogeneous enhancement was defined to be indicative of malignancy. The echo intensity change during 60 s in the tumor was quantitatively evaluated by time intensity curve analysis.

RESULTS

In total, 100 patients were enrolled in this study. The final diagnoses were malignant lesions in 87 patients and benign legions in 13 patients. There were four categories of enhancement and patterns: hypovascular with heterogeneous, hypovascular with homogeneous, hypervascular heterogeneous, and hypervascular homogeneous enhancement. The diagnostic capability of qualitative analysis was the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 89%, 62%, and 85%, respectively. With respect to time intensity curve analysis, the time to peak of malignant lesions was significantly shorter than those of benign lesions (P = 0.0009) with an optimal cutoff value of 12.81 s on the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. With the combination of qualitative and quantitative analyses, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were improved to 100%, 54%, and 94%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

CEH-EUS with combined qualitative and quantitative analyses for pancreatic tumors might be useful as a complement for EUS-FNA. The UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN000025192).

Imaging and its Impact on Defining the Oligometastatic State

Successful treatment of oligometastatic disease (OMD) is facilitated through timely detection and localization of disease, both at the time of initial diagnosis (synchronous OMD) and following the initial therapy (metachronous OMD). Hence, imaging plays an indispensable role in management of patients with OMD. However, the challenges and complexities of OMD management are also reflected in the imaging of this entity. While innovations and advances in imaging technology have made a tremendous impact in disease detection and management, there remain substantial and unaddressed challenges for earlier and more accurate establishment of OMD state. This review will provide an overview of the available imaging modalities and their inherent strengths and weaknesses, with a focus on their role and potential in detection and evaluation of OMD in different organ systems. Furthermore, we will review the role of imaging in evaluation of OMD for malignancies of various primary organs, such as the lung, prostate, colon/rectum, breast, kidney, as well as neuroendocrine tumors and gynecologic malignancies. We aim to provide a practical overview about the utilization of imaging for clinicians who play a role in the care of those with, or at risk for OMD.

Utility of CT to Differentiate Pancreatic Parenchymal Metastasis from Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Simple Summary

The purpose of this retrospective study was to report the computed tomography (CT) features of pancreatic parenchymal metastasis (PPM) and identify CT features that may help discriminate between PPM and PDAC. At multivariable analysis, well-defined margins (OR, 6.64; 95% CI: 1.47–29.93; p = 0.014), maximal enhancement during arterial phase (OR, 6.15; 95% CI: 1.13–33.51; p = 0.036), no vessel involvement (OR, 7.19; 95% CI: 1.51–34.14) and no Wirsung duct dilatation (OR, 10.63; 95% CI: 2.27–49.91) were independently associated with PPM. A nomogram based on CT features identified at multivariable analysis yielded an AUC of 0.92 (95% CI: 0.85–0.98) for the diagnosis of PPM vs. PDAC.

Abstract

Purpose: To report the computed tomography (CT) features of pancreatic parenchymal metastasis (PPM) and identify CT features that may help discriminate between PPM and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Materials and methods: Thirty-four patients (24 men, 12 women; mean age, 63.3 ± 10.2 [SD] years) with CT and histopathologically proven PPM were analyzed by two independent readers and compared to 34 patients with PDAC. Diagnosis performances of each variable for the diagnosis of PPM against PDAC were calculated. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed. A nomogram was developed to diagnose PPM against PDAC. Results: PPM mostly presented as single (34/34; 100%), enhancing (34/34; 100%), solid (27/34; 79%) pancreatic lesion without visible associated lymph nodes (24/34; 71%) and no Wirsung duct enlargement (29/34; 85%). At multivariable analysis, well-defined margins (OR, 6.64; 95% CI: 1.47–29.93; p = 0.014), maximal enhancement during arterial phase (OR, 6.15; 95% CI: 1.13–33.51; p = 0.036), no vessel involvement (OR, 7.19; 95% CI: 1.512–34.14) and no Wirsung duct dilatation (OR, 10.63; 95% CI: 2.27–49.91) were independently associated with PPM. The nomogram yielded an AUC of 0.92 (95% CI: 0.85–0.98) for the diagnosis of PPM vs. PDAC. Conclusion: CT findings may help discriminate between PPM and PDAC.

Long-term survival after pancreatic metastasis resection from breast cancer: a systematic literature review

Background

Patients with advanced-stage breast cancer often demonstrate pancreatic metastases. However, pancreatic metastases resection from breast cancer has been rarely performed, with only 20 cases having been reported to date.

Case presentation

A 49-year-old woman presented to our hospital in September 2003 with complaints of uncontrollable oozing from her left breast tumor. Computed tomography revealed a left breast tumor approximately 9.3 cm in diameter as well as heterogeneously enhanced solid mass lesions with necrotic foci in the pancreatic tail and body, up to 6.2 cm, which were radiologically diagnosed as pancreatic metastases from breast cancer. An emergent left simple mastectomy was performed to control bleeding. After epirubicin and cyclophosphamide hydrate treatment failed to improve her condition, the pancreatic metastases responded to weekly paclitaxel treatment, but eventually regrew. The patient underwent distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy, left adrenalectomy, partial stomach resection, and paraaortic lymph nodes excision in December 2004 after no other metastasis was confirmed. Furthermore, she received radiation therapy for left parasternal lymph node metastasis 6 months later. The patient recovered well. Consequently, she has no evidence of disease > 15 years after pancreatectomy.

Conclusions

This is the first reported case of pancreatectomy for pancreatic metastases from breast cancer, which was simultaneously diagnosed. Patients with no metastasis other than resectable pancreatic metastases and breast cancer and who possess some sensitivity for chemotherapy may benefit from pancreatectomy.

Solid Tumor Metastases to the Pancreas Diagnosed Using Fine-Needle Aspiration

OBJECTIVES

Solid tumor metastases to the pancreas are rare, and only limited literature on the topic is available. In this retrospective study, we reviewed 107 cases of solid tumor metastases to the pancreas diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration (FNA) from 2005 to 2019.

METHODS

Information including the patients' clinical histories, radiologic and pathologic findings, treatments, and follow-up were collected.

RESULTS

The mean age of the patients was 62.4 years. The mean tumor size was 2.64 cm with even distribution throughout the pancreas (head, neck and body, and tail). The most common primary site was the kidney, followed by the lung, skin, and breast and the gynecologic, gastrointestinal, and genitourinary tracts. The most common tumor type was carcinoma, followed by melanoma and sarcoma. In comparison to patients with nonkidney primary cancers, those with primary renal cell carcinoma had a longer median interval between primary diagnosis and metastasis (8.5 vs 4.0 years; P < .01), less often had metastasis outside the pancreas (38% vs 74%; P < .01), and had a significantly longer 5-year survival rate (65.7% vs 24.8%; P < .01).

CONCLUSIONS

FNA plays a crucial role in diagnosing metastases to the pancreas. Metastases originating from kidney and nonkidney primary tumors have distinct clinicopathologic features and prognoses.

Surgical Resection for Metastatic Tumors in the Pancreas: A Single-Center Experience and Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Metastatic lesion to the pancreas accounts for approximately 2% of pancreatic neoplasms. There is no prospective, randomized or case-controlled study evaluating the role of pancreatic metastasectomy.

METHODS

The PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library electronic databases were searched for studies published between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2017. Studies with five or more patients who received pancreatic metastasectomy and data from our institution (29 patients) were included. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 414 patients from 20 institutions who underwent pancreatic resections were included. Of the reported 31 kinds of primary neoplasms, renal-cell carcinoma (RCC) comprised the most (54.3%). At the time of diagnosis, although 40.3% patients were asymptomatic, abdominal pain (34.8%) and jaundice (20.6%) were relatively common. As for surgical type, pancreatoduodenectomy, total pancreatectomy, distal pancreatectomy, and enucleation took up 37.9%, 11.4%, 43.5%, and 7.2% respectively. The mortality and morbidity rates were 1.4% and 48.3% respectively. Patients with symptoms at the time of diagnosis had significantly shorter survival compared with asymptomatic patients (p = 0.017). Those with RCC as primary tumor had significantly longer survival compared with non-RCC patients (p < 0.001). Positive margin also predicts worse prognosis (p = 0.035).

CONCLUSIONS

Pancreatic metastasectomy is safe and associated with acceptable short- and intermediate-term results. In the conditions of RCC as the primary tumor, being asymptomatic, or negative resection margin, a better prognosis after resection can be achieved.

A Retrospective Analysis of Preoperative Evaluation and Surgical Resection for Metastatic Tumors of the Pancreas

Pancreatectomy might confer a survival benefit in patients with metastatic tumors of the pancreas (MTPs); however, the optimal treatment for MTP has not been established. We reviewed six patients with MTP undergoing pancreatectomy and discussed the clinical features, surgical treatment, and survival. The sites of primary cancer included renal cell carcinoma (RCC) (n = 5; 83.3%) and rectal cancer (n = 1; 16.7%). The median interval between the resection of the primary site and the development of MTP was 157 months (range, 16-180 months). Three (60.0%) of the five cases of MTP-originating RCC and a MTP-originating rectal cancer, biopsy was performed under endoscopic ultrasonography guidance and MTP was pathologically diagnosed. All patients with MTP originating from RCC have remained alive for 3, 13, 18, 18, and 113 months without recurrence after pancreatectomy. In contrast, the patient with MTP originating from rectal cancer developed multiple liver metastases at 7 months after pancreatectomy, and then underwent chemotherapy. A preoperative pathological diagnosis using biopsy under endoscopic ultrasonography guidance was indispensable for the treatment of MTP. Pancreatectomy for MTP conferred a survival benefit in patients with metastatic RCC, whereas a combination of pancreatectomy and chemotherapy might be necessary to improve the prognosis of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

Imaging Advances in the Management of Kidney Cancer

New developments in cross-sectional imaging, including contrast-enhanced ultrasound, dual-energy computed tomography, multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging, single-photon emission computed tomography, and positron emission tomography, together with novel application of existing and novel radiotracers, have changed the landscape of renal mass characterization (ie, virtual biopsy) as well as the detection of metastatic disease, prognostication, and response assessment in patients with advanced kidney cancer. A host of imaging response criteria have been developed to characterize the response to targeted and immune therapies and correlate with patient outcomes, each with strengths and limitations. Recent efforts to advance the field are aimed at increasing objectivity with quantitative techniques and the use of banks of imaging data to match the vast genomic data that are becoming available. The emerging field of radiogenomics has the potential to transform further the role of imaging in kidney cancer management through eventual noninvasive characterization of the tumor histology and genetic microenvironment in single renal masses and/or metastatic disease. We review of the effect of currently available imaging techniques in the management of patients with kidney cancer, including localized, locally advanced, and metastatic disease.

Differentiation between pancreatic metastases from clear cell renal cell carcinoma and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor using double-echo chemical shift imaging

PURPOSE

The purpose of the study was to retrospectively analyze whether double-echo gradient-echo (GRE) chemical shift imaging (CSI) can differentiate between pancreatic metastases from clear cell renal cell carcinoma (PM-ccRCC) and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (pNET).

METHODS

Institutional review board approval and informed consent were waived. CSI, T2WI, DWI, and DCE magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed in patients with PM-ccRCC and pNET. Eleven patients with PM-ccRCC and 24 patients with pNET were enrolled into this retrospective study. The signal intensity was measured in the pancreatic tumor and spleen on in-phase and opposed-phase images. The signal intensity index (SII) and tumor-to-spleen ratio (TSR) in PM-ccRCC and pNET were calculated and compared. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of SII and TSR in the differentiation between PM-ccRCC and pNET.

RESULTS

The SII between PM-ccRCC and pNET (20.3% ± 16.8% vs. - 3.2% ± 11.4%) was significantly different (P < 0.001), as was the TSR (- 19.2% ± 16.6% vs. 6.0% ± 13.8%) (P < 0.001). The area under the ROC curve was 0.917 for the SII and 0.902 for the TSR. Additionally, an SII threshold value of 8.1% permitted the differentiation of PM-ccRCC from pNET with a sensitivity of 90.9%, a specificity of 91.7%, a positive predictive value of 90.1%, a negative predictive value of 91.7%, and an accuracy of 91.4%. A TSR cut-off value of - 4.7% enabled the differentiation of the two groups with a sensitivity of 79.2%, a specificity of 90.9%, a positive predictive value of 90.9%, a negative predictive value of 79.2% and an accuracy of 82.9%.

CONCLUSION

Double-echo GRE chemical shift MR imaging can accurately differentiate between PM-ccRCC and pNET.

Asymptomatic Pancreatic Metastasis from Renal Cell Carcinoma Diagnosed 21 Years after Nephrectomy

This report presents our experience with a case of pancreatic metastasis of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) at a long-term follow-up after nephrectomy. A 73-year-old man underwent nephrectomy for right RCC 21 years ago; computed tomography (CT) scanning on routine follow-up revealed a solid mass in the tail of the pancreas, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed some tumors in the head and tail of the pancreas. The patient was asymptomatic and allergic to contrast medium. Therefore we could not perform contrast CT/MRI for further examination to diagnose pancreatic tumors. We undertook endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) and detected a hypervascular and low echoic mass; tumor tissues were obtained by EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA). Pathological diagnosis revealed pancreatic metastasis of clear cell RCC; this was similar to the pathological findings of tumor tissues initially obtained by nephrectomy. EUS-FNA was extremely useful for the definitive diagnosis of a rare type of pancreatic tumor.

Surgery for metastatic tumors of the pancreas

Metastatic lesion of the pancreas originated from other organs is uncommon. The aim of this report was to evaluate the outcome of surgery in patients with isolated metastases to the pancreas. Nine patients underwent pancreatic resection for metastatic malignant disease from 2000 to 2015 at the Department of Gastroenterological Surgery of the Kumamoto University Hospital. The primary lesion was renal cell carcinoma in 7 cases, colon cancer in 1 and malignant melanoma in 1. The median interval from the initial operation to pancreatic resection was 138 months. Operative procedure was distal pancreatectomy in 6 cases, pancreaticoduodenectomy in 2 and total pancreatectomy in 1. Two patients with renal cell carcinoma and 1 patient with malignant melanoma died 131, 108, and 4 months after the pancreatic resection, respectively. Other 6 patients have survived until now with 23.5 months of observation periods after pancreatic resection. In conclusion, pancreatic metastasis can develop years after the treatment of primary lesion. Pancreatic resection can achieved long-term survival, at least in the patients who had primary renal carcinoma.

Pancreatic Metastasis from Rectal Cancer that was Diagnosed by Endoscopic Ultrasonography-guided Fine Needle Aspiration (EUS-FNA)

Pancreatic metastasis from colorectal cancer is rare, and there have been only a few reports of its preoperative diagnosis by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) with immunohistochemical staining. We herein describe the case of a 77-year-old woman in whom a solitary mass in the pancreatic tail was detected 11 years after rectal cancer resection. The patient also had a history of pulmonary tumor resection. We performed EUS-FNA and a histopathological examination showed adenocarcinoma with CD20+, CD7-, and CDX2+ (similar to her rectal cancer). EUS-FNA enabled a histopathological examination, including immunohistochemical staining, which helped to confirm the diagnosis of pancreatic and pulmonary metastasis from rectal cancer.

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration cytology of metastatic renal cell carcinoma to the pancreas: A multi-center experience

Introduction:

The increasing use of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) cytology to examine pancreatic neoplasms has led to an increase in the diagnosis of metastases to the pancreas. Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common metastasis to the pancreas. Our study examines 33 cases of metastatic RCC to the pancreas sampled by EUS-FNA from four large tertiary care hospitals.

Materials and Methods:

We searched the cytopathology database for RCC metastatic to the pancreas diagnosed by EUS-FNA from January 2005 to January 2015. Patient age, history of RCC, nephrectomy history, follow-up postnephrectomy, radiological impression, and EUS-FNA cytologic diagnosis were reviewed.

Results:

Thirty-three patients were identified. The average age was 67.5 years (range, 49–84 years). Thirty-two patients had a previous documented history of RCC. One patient had the diagnosis of pancreatic metastasis at the same time of the kidney biopsy. Thirty-one patients had been treated with nephrectomy. Twenty-seven patients were being monitored annually by computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. Twenty-five patients had multiple masses by imaging, but 8 patients had a single mass in the pancreas at the time of EUS-FNA. EUS-FNA of 20 cases showed classic morphology of RCC. Thirteen cases had either “atypical” clinical-radiologic features or morphologic overlaps with primary pancreatic neoplasms or other neoplasms. Cell blocks were made on all 13 cases and immunochemical stains confirmed the diagnosis.

Conclusions:

EUS-FNA cytology is useful for the diagnosis of metastatic RCC to the pancreas. Cytomorphology can be aided with patient history, imaging analyses, cell blocks, and immunochemical stains.

Metachronous pancreatic metastases from renal cell carcinoma: is there a place of Active-Surveillance before deferred deliberately Molecular Target Agent?

Background

Metastatic renal cell cancer is a heterogeneous disease due to its diverse morphological features, the prognostic categories based on clinical criteria. Sometimes indolent course without any significant symptoms can be differentiated before the introduction of novel targeted agents. This observation led to interest in a strategy of deferring systemic therapy in the era of effective systemic therapies.

Case presentation

We report of a 78-year-old Moroccan man with pancreatic metastasis from renal cell carcinoma which occurred 14 years from right nephrectomy. Indolent disease based on body computed tomography imaging with 4 years follow-up was recognized. Active surveillance with deferred antiangiogenic multikinase inhibitor at disease progression was proposed. Nowadays, the patient is under oncological follow-up, he is in a good state of health, and he is disease-free for 48 months from the diagnosis of the tumor and for 20 months from the start of the treatment with Sunitinib

Conclusions

Active surveillance before target therapy may be a suitable approach to ensure long progression-free survival with minimal side-effects and better quality of life in asymptomatic, low-volume, metastatic disease. Further prospective studies with biomarker validation are required to define the patients most likely to benefit from this approach.

Comparison of Multidetector CT and Gadobutrol-Enhanced MR Imaging for Evaluation of Small, Solid Pancreatic Lesions

OBJECTIVE

To compare multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) and MRI for lesion conspicuity, as well as the detection and characterization of small solid pancreatic lesions (SPLs).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

193 patients with small SPLs (< 3 cm) and 52 patients with normal pancreas who underwent both multiphasic MDCT and gadobutrol-enhanced MRI were included in our study. Two radiologists blinded to the pathologic diagnoses independently reviewed those images, and determined the detection of "SPL per se" and "SPL in consideration of secondary features", the lesion conspicuity, the probability of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), and the most likely specific diagnosis.

RESULTS

The sensitivity of MRI for "detection of SPL per se" was significantly higher than that of CT in both reviewers: 92.7% (179/193) and 97.9% (189/193), respectively, for reviewer 1 (p = 0.031) and 90.7% (175/193) and 99.5% (192/193), respectively, for reviewer 2 (p < 0.001). In addition, MRI provided better lesion conspicuity than MDCT for both reviewers (p < 0.001). However, CT and MRI did not show significant difference in sensitivity for "detection of SPL in consideration of secondary features", specificity for SPL detection, and differentiation of PDAC vs. non-PDAC (p > 0.05). The accuracies of CT and MRI for making a specific diagnosis were as follows: 85.7% (210/245) vs. 86.9% (213/245), respectively, for reviewer 1 (p = 0.736), and 91.8% (225/245) vs. 93.5% (229/245), respectively, for reviewer 2 (p = 0.454).

CONCLUSION

MRI showed better lesion conspicuity than MDCT, but did not show significantly different diagnostic performance compared with MDCT for detecting and characterizing small SPLs.

Multidetector computed tomography features of pancreatic metastases from leiomyosarcoma: Experience at a tertiary cancer center

AIM: To describe the multidetector computed tomography features of pancreatic metastasis from leiomyosarcoma (LMS).

METHODS: Between January 1995 and December 2012, 13 consecutive patients (11 women, 2 men; mean age of 57 years; range, 38-78 years) with pancreatic metastases from LMS were included in our study. Imaging features including location, number, largest dimension, tumor attenuation and enhancement characteristics, presence of necrosis, pancreatic ductal dilatation, common bile duct (CBD) dilatation, presence of pancreatitis, and atrophy were documented.

RESULTS: The most common site of origin of the pancreatic metastases from LMS was uterus (38.5%), followed by retroperitoneum (30.8%) and extremity (23.1%). None of the patients in our study had pancreas as the first site of metastasis. All patients developed pancreatic metastases at a median interval of 24 mo. Pancreatic metastases from LMS were solitary in 8/13 patients and multiple in 5/13 patients, had no predilection for any part of the pancreas, were hypovascular on arterial phase in 10/13 patients and associated with pancreatic duct dilatation in 3/13 patients. None had CBD dilatation. None of the pancreatic metastases in LMS cohort caused pancreatitis, and atrophy. Median duration of follow-up was 19 mo for LMS cohort during which two patients underwent resection of metastasis (median survival 45 mo) while the remaining underwent systemic therapy (median survival 13 mo).

CONCLUSION: Pancreatic metastases from LMS are often solitary and hypovascular masses and less commonly associated with pancreatic ductal dilatation, CBD dilatation, pancreatitis or pancreatic atrophy. Surgical resection of solitary LMS pancreatic metastasis can be considered due to the long survival of these patients.

Renal Masses: Imaging Evaluation

This article illustrates the imaging characteristics of cystic and solid renal masses, along with a summary of identified imaging criteria that may be of use to differentiate masses that are more likely to be benign from those that are more likely to be malignant. In addition, important features of known or suspected renal cancers that should be identified before treatment are summarized, including staging of renal cancer and RENAL nephrometry. Finally, the imaging appearance of patients following treatment of renal cancer, including after partial or total nephrectomy, thermal ablation, or chemotherapy for metastatic disease, is reviewed.

Pretest prediction and diagnosis of metastatic lesions to the pancreas by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Early diagnosis of solid pancreatic lesions (SPLs) enables prompt treatment. The study aims to identify factors differentiating metastatic lesion to the pancreas (PMET) from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs).

METHODS

This is a retrospective study at a tertiary cancer center. Consecutive patients referred for endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) of SPLs from 2004 to 2011 were reviewed. The main outcomes were pre-EUS-FNA (endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration) predictors and diagnostic accuracy of EUS-FNA for PMETs.

RESULTS

Among a total of 1108 EUS-FNAs for pancreatic lesions, 672 patients had neoplastic SPLs (PMETs = 53; PDACs = 528, PNETs = 91). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and accuracy of EUS-FNA for diagnosis of PMETs were 84.9%, 100%, 100%, and 98.8%, respectively. The mean number of EUS-FNA passes for diagnosis of PMET was 3.1 per patient. For each endosonographer, preceding 3-year EUS volume (mean/year) significantly correlated with fewer needle passes (rs [-0.30], P = 0.03). The most common PMET was renal cell carcinoma. Stratified multivariate analyses were performed. Compared with patients with PDACs, PMETs were more common in men (odds ratio [OR] = 2.0; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.0-4.0); located in the pancreatic tail (OR = 2.4; 95%CI = 1.1-5.2); and were less likely with increasing age (OR = 0.95; 95%CI = 0.92-0.99), presence of major symptoms (abdomen pain/diarrhea/weight loss; OR = 0.2; 95%CI = 0.1-0.4), elevated bilirubin (OR = 0.3; 95%CI = 0.13-0.69), and imaging evidence of arterial invasion (OR = 0.15; 95%CI = 0.03-0.67). Compared with PNETs, PMETs were more common with increase age (OR = 1.05; 95%CI = 1.02-1.08) and increasing lesion size (OR = 1.03; 95%CI = 1.0-1.1), and were less likely in patients with diabetes (OR = 0.34; 95%CI = 0.11-0.99).

CONCLUSION

Among the largest numbers of neoplastic SPLs evaluated at a single center, pre-test features reliably characterize, and EUS-FNA provides a highly specific diagnosis of PMETs.

Pylorus-preserving total pancreatectomy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma: a case report

INTRODUCTION

Resectable isolated multiple metastases to the pancreas from renal cell carcinoma are rare. In this report, we describe a patient with multiple metastases of renal cell carcinoma to the pancreas who was treated with pylorus-preserving total pancreatectomy.

CASE PRESENTATION

The patient was a 58-year-old Asian woman who had undergone right nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma 20 years earlier. In 2008, she was diagnosed with multiple metastases of renal cell carcinoma to the pancreas by abdominal computed tomography during routine follow-up for renal cell carcinoma. (18)F-2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography showed no accumulation in her body other than the pancreas. Because of concerns about her quality of life after total pancreatectomy, she underwent pylorus-preserving total pancreatectomy. After the resection, her control of blood sugar and quality of life were generally satisfactory. She died as a result of gastrointestinal bleeding 35 months after undergoing pancreatectomy.

CONCLUSIONS

Pancreatic metastasectomy should be considered, even for multiple metastases, when the primary tumor is renal cell carcinoma and the metastatic lesions are isolated.

Metastases to the Pancreas: Computed Tomography Imaging Spectrum and Clinical Features: A Retrospective Study of 18 Patients With 36 Metastases

The aim of this study is to identify the key computed tomography (CT) imaging findings and clinical characteristics of pancreatic metastases for its differential diagnosis. CT images and clinical features of 18 patients with 36 histopathologically proven pancreatic metastases were retrospectively reviewed. The primary malignancy included non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (n = 7), gastrointestinal carcinoma (n = 5), renal cell carcinoma (RCC) (n = 3), osteosarcoma (n = 1), cardiac sarcomas (n = 1), and neuroendocrine ethmoid sinus carcinoma (n = 1). Pancreatic metastases were metachronous in 12 patients (ranging from 4 to 72 months). Tumor markers were elevated for 8 patients, of which 7 patients had NSCLC and gastrointestinal carcinoma, and 1 patient had osteosarcoma. Metastases from NSCLC and gastrointestinal carcinoma frequently presented as small well-circumscribed lesions, with homogeneous or rim enhancement, and or local pancreatic infiltration instead of focal mass, mimicking local pancreatitis. Neuroendocrine ethmoid sinus carcinoma affecting the pancreas also exhibited local pancreatic infiltration. Metastases from RCC and cardiac sarcomas had typical characteristics of hypervascular lesions. Osteosarcoma metastasizing to pancreas had special manifestation, that is, cystic lesion with thick wall and calcification. Although pancreatic metastases have a broad spectrum of CT appearances, lesions from some types of primary tumors exhibited characteristic imaging features, which, in combination with oncological history, will contribute to correct diagnosis.

Metastatic tumors to the pancreas: The role of surgery

Pancreatic metastases from other primary malignancies are a rare entity. By far, the most common primary cancer site resulting in an isolated pancreatic metastasis is the kidney, followed by colorectal cancer, melanoma, breast cancer, lung carcinoma and sarcoma. Only few data on the surgical outcome of pancreatic resections performed for metastases from other primary tumor have been published, and there are no guidelines to address the surgical treatment for these patients. In this study, we performed a review of the published literature, focusing on the early and long-term results of surgery for the most frequent primary tumors metastasizing to the pancreas. Results for the Literature’s analysis show that in last years an increasing number of surgical resections have been performed in selected patients with limited pancreatic disease. Pancreatic resection for metastatic disease can be performed with acceptable mortality and morbidity rates. The usefulness of pancreatic resection is mainly linked to the biology of the primary tumor metastasizing to the pancreas. The benefit of metastasectomy in terms of patient survival has been observed for metastases from renal cell cancer, while for other primary tumors, such as lung and breast cancers, the role of surgery is mainly palliative.

Imaging of pancreatic metastases from renal cell carcinoma

Background

To describe the main imaging characteristics of pancreatic metastases from renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with particular attention to CT features, underlining possible criteria for a differential diagnosis.

Methods

15 patients have been included in this study. 14 patients underwent multislice CT with triphasic acquisition (unenhanced, pancreatic parenchymal and portal venous phases). In 9 cases a delayed phase (120 sec) was also acquired. 5 patients underwent MRI, before and after administration of gadolinium.

Results

The mean time interval between nephrectomy and recurrence was 7.5 years (range 1-17 years). On CT metastases avidly enhanced in the parenchymal phase and then demonstrated a significant wash-out, approaching isodensity to the normal pancreatic parenchyma in the portal phase. In the portal phase 20 of the 25 lesions found in the arterial phase were recognizable. On non-enhanced scans, only 13 of the 25 lesions were detected.

On MRI, with the limitations due to the paucity of cases, the metastatic foci appeared hypointense to normal pancreatic tissue on T1-weighted images, and hyperintense on T2- and diffusion-weighted images. After gadolinium, the behaviour was similar to that reported for CT, except for one patient in whom two metastatic foci presented a signal intensity almost isointense to the surrounding parenchyma, accompanied also by an unusual lowering of the signal on DWI (diffusion-weighted imaging) with high b-values. Compared to CT, with MRI the lesions appeared all detectable even on non-enhanced acquisitions.

Conclusion

Renal Cell Carcinomas require a prolonged CT or MRI follow-up.

In patients with RCC history, an early arterial or a pancreatic parenchymal phase is always mandatory, as pancreatic metastases typically present themselves as hypervascular lesions. This behavior is similar to that of neuroendocrine tumors, while the other primary pancreatic tumors tend to be hypovascular.

Pancreatic metastases from renal cell carcinoma: a case report and literature review of the clinical and radiological characteristics

Metastatic pancreatic cancer is rare, accounting for approximately 2% of all pancreatic malignancies, and most cases arise from renal cell carcinoma. We report the case of a 63-year-old woman, who presented with a pancreatic tumor detected during her annual health examination. She had undergone left nephrectomy 13 years previously for renal cell carcinoma. Computed tomography (CT) revealed two tumors in the head and body of the pancreas, a hypervascular tumor and a hypovascular tumor with an enhanced rim, respectively. She underwent pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy, and metastatic pancreatic tumors arising from the kidney with clustered clear cell carcinoma immunohistochemically positive for CD10 were diagnosed. This report presents the different enhancement features of different lesions on CT scans. Because the enhancement features of lesions have been reported to vary according to the size of the metastatic tumor, a knowledge of the history of renal cell carcinoma is crucial for diagnosis.

Renal cell carcinoma metastases to the pancreas: value of arterial phase imaging at MDCT

BACKGROUND

The pancreas is an increasingly recognized site of renal cell carcinoma metastases. It is important to determine the optimal MDCT protocol to best detect RCC metastases to the pancreas.

PURPOSE

To compare the rate of detection of renal cell carcinoma metastases to the pancreas between arterial and portal venous phase MDCT.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A retrospective review of CTs of the abdomen yielded six patients with metastatic RCC to the pancreas. Five of six patients had pathologically proven clear cell RCC. Two blinded reviewers independently reported the number of pancreatic lesions seen in arterial and venous phases. Each lesion was graded as definite or possible. The number of lesions was determined by consensus review of both phases. Attenuation values were obtained for metastatic lesions and adjacent normal pancreas in both phases.

RESULTS

There were a total of 24 metastatic lesions to the pancreas. Reviewer 1 identified 20/24 (83.3%) lesions on the arterial phase images and 13/24 (54.2%) lesions on the venous phase. Seventeen of 20 (85.0%) arterial lesions were deemed definite and 9/13 (69.2%) venous lesions were definite. Reviewer 2 identified 19/24 (79.2%) lesions on the arterial phase and 14/24 (58.3%) on the venous phase. Seventeen of 19 (89.5%) arterial lesions were definite and 7/14 (50%) venous lesions were definite. Mean attenuation differential between lesion and pancreas was 114 HU and 39 HU for arterial and venous phases, respectively (P<0.0001).

CONCLUSION

Detection of RCC metastases to the pancreas at MDCT is improved using arterial phase imaging compared to portal venous phase imaging.

Role of endoscopic ultrasonography in evaluation of metastatic lesions to the pancreas: a tertiary cancer center experience

OBJECTIVES

Metastatic lesions to the pancreas pose diagnostic challenges with regards to their differentiation from primary pancreatic cancer. Data on the yield of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS)-guided fine-needle aspiration in detection of these lesions are limited.

METHODS

This is a retrospective review of 23 patients referred to a tertiary referral center for further evaluation of suspected pancreatic metastases. Main outcome measures were diagnostic yield of endoscopic ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration in evaluation of metastatic lesions to the pancreas.

RESULTS

Of 644 patients, 23 (3.6%) undergoing EUS of the pancreas were diagnosed to have metastatic disease to the pancreas based on clinical, radiological, and cytological results. Mean (SD) age was 64.3 (11.7) years. Of the 23 patients, 18 (78.3%) were asymptomatic. Mean (SD) size of lesion on EUS was 39.1 (19.9) mm. A diagnosis of malignant lesion was made in 21 of 23 cases, with a diagnostic accuracy of 91.3%.

CONCLUSIONS

Metastatic lesions to the pancreas present as incidental, solitary mass lesions on staging or surveillance imaging. Endoscopic ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration is an important tool in the characterization and further differentiation of metastatic lesions to the pancreas from primary pancreatic cancer.

Margin-negative limited resection of metastatic pancreatic tumors from rectal cancer preoperatively diagnosed by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsies: report of two cases

Pancreatic tumor metastasis from colorectal cancer is very rare. This study evaluated the significance of an endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (EUS-FNAB) and surgical treatment. Case 1 was a 67-year-old male with a history of rectal cancer (6 years ago) and lung metastases (5 years ago) who had two masses in the pancreatic head and body. Case 2 was a 58-year-old male with the history of rectal cancer and simultaneous lung metastasis (7 years ago) who had a mass in the pancreatic body. Imaging studies showed stenosis of the pancreatic duct with distal dilatation in both cases, mimicking primary pancreatic cancer. An EUS-FNAB with immunohistochemical staining made a definitive diagnosis of pancreatic metastasis from rectal cancer. Both patients received margin-negative limited resection, middle-segment-preserving pancreatectomy and distal pancreatectomy, respectively, and were alive 16 and 6 months after pancreatectomy, respectively. An EUS-FNAB is helpful to make a definitive diagnosis of pancreatic metastasis and in determining the subsequent therapeutic approach.

Unusual solid pancreatic tumors

The vast array of possible histologies for a given pancreatic mass makes the specific diagnosis of a solid pancreatic mass in an individual patient challenging. This article discusses and reviews the imaging findings of those entities that are likely to be encountered in clinical practice, specifically pancreatic endocrine tumors, solid pseudopapillary tumor, secondary pancreatic masses, and heterotopic spleen.

Resection for secondary malignancy of the pancreas

OBJECTIVES

This study tried to clarify the role of pancreatic resection in the treatment of secondary malignancy with metastasis or local invasion to the pancreas in terms of surgical risk and survival benefit.

METHODS

Data of secondary malignancy of the pancreas from our 19 patients and cases reported in the English literature were pooled together for analysis.

RESULTS

There were 329 cases of resected secondary malignancy of the pancreas, including 241 cases of metastasis and 88 cases of local invasion. The most common primary tumor metastatic to the pancreas and amenable to resection was renal cell carcinoma (RCC) (73.9%). More than half (52.3%) of the primary cancers with local invasion to the pancreas were colon cancer, and nearly half (40.9%) were stomach cancer. The median metastatic interval was 84 months (7 years) for overall primary tumors and 108 months (9 years) for RCC. The 5-year survival for secondary malignancy of the pancreas after resection was 61.1% for metastasis and 58.9% for local invasion, with 72.8% for RCC metastasis, 69.0% for colon cancer, and 43.8% for stomach cancer with local invasion to the pancreas.

CONCLUSIONS

Pancreatic resection should not be precluded for secondary malignancy of the pancreas because long-term survival could be achieved with acceptable surgical risk in selected patients.

[MDCT patterns of presentation of pancreatic metastases from renal cell carcinoma]

OBJECTIVE

To determine the frequency of pancreatic metastasis from renal cell carcinoma in patients studied with MDCT during 2007 and to describe the patterns of presentation on MDCT.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We retrospectively studied 133 patients with renal cell carcinoma who underwent MDCT between January and December 2007. Forty-nine patients presented disseminated disease. We analyzed the frequency, location, and patterns of presentation of pancreatic metastases.

RESULTS

Pancreatic involvement was identified in six patients. Four patients had isolated pancreatic nodules and two presented multiple nodules. A total of nine pancreatic lesions ranging between 8mm and 40 mm were detected. All nodules had increased uptake of contrast material in the arterial phase except for one in a patient with multiple nodules, due to necrosis. Two cases were associated with pancreatic duct dilation. Histology was obtained in only one patient.

CONCLUSION

Pancreatic involvement of renal cell carcinoma was detected in 4.5% of patients, ranking fifth in frequency in patients with disseminated disease. The arterial phase is necessary to detect pancreatic involvement of renal cell carcinoma. The pattern of presentation is nearly constant, helping differentiate pancreatic metastasis from primary pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Multidetector computed tomography in the study of pancreatic metastases

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to explore the diagnostic performance of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) in characterising pancreatic metastases.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

CT examinations of 17 patients affected by pancreatic metastases were retrospectively reviewed. The primary malignancy was renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in eight cases, uterine leiomyosarcoma in two, lung carcinoma in four and breast carcinoma in three. CT images were assessed for lesion number, size and morphology.

RESULTS

Pancreatic lesions were solitary in seven cases and multiple in ten. Lesion size ranged between 8 and 40 mm. Metastases from RCC were hyperattenuating in the arterial phase, metastases from breast cancer and lung cancer were hypoattenuating and metastases from uterine leiomyosarcoma were inhomogeneous. Precise lesion characterisation was obtained by using CT examination in 12 cases. In the remaining five patients, all with solitary metastases from RCC, a precise diagnosis was not possible because the lesions could not be differentiated from a neuroendocrine tumour.

CONCLUSIONS

MDCT allowed pancreatic metastases characterisation in 70.5% of cases. The lesions were the manifestation of widely disseminated neoplastic disease, with the exception of metastases from RCC, which were exclusively located in the pancreas.

A pancreatic metastasis from a colon cancer

Pancreatic metastases from colorectal cancer are extremely rare. We report the case of a 74-years-old patient presented with a metachronous pancreatic metastasis, which was treated by segmental pancreatectomy. After reviewing literature, diagnosis and management of pancreatic metastasis from colorectal carcinoma are discussed.

Role of endoscopic ultrasound and endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration in diagnosing metastasis to the pancreas: a tertiary center experience

BACKGROUND

Metastasis to the pancreas (MP) is a rare entity that is difficult to identify by imaging alone. Few reports have described endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) findings. Herein, we try to describe the EUS and EUS-FNA characteristics of MP.

METHODS

This retrospective study compared 28 patients with MP (13 males; mean age: 60.1 ± 12.6 years) and 60 control patients (30 males; 62.7 ± 11.5 years) with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). All lesions were characterized by EUS, and MP was diagnosed by EUS-FNA (n = 16), surgery (n = 6) or both (n = 6).

RESULTS

Multivariate logistic regression revealed that the presence of regular borders (p = 0.004; OR: 8.81, 95% CI: 1.97-39.4), the absence of retention cysts (p = 0.045; OR: 12.5, 95% CI: 1.06-147.0), and the absence of main pancreatic duct (MPD) dilation (p = 0.003; OR: 8.18, 95% CI: 2.04-32.8) were predictors of MP rather than PDAC. The EUS-FNA sampling adequacy was 95.4% (21/22), and the correct diagnosis was obtained in 95.2% (20/21) of cases when K-ras mutation analysis and/or immunostaining were added.

CONCLUSION

The presence of regular borders, the absence of retention cysts and the presence of nondilated MPD on EUS indicate MP rather than PDAC. This diagnosis can be accurately confirmed by EUS-FNA with immunostaining and/or K-ras analysis.

Reactive hypertrophy of an accessory spleen mimicking tumour recurrence of metastatic renal cell carcinoma

De novo occurrence of an accessory spleen after splenectomy is worth noting for two reasons. First, it is known that splenectomy can cause reactive hypertrophy of initially inactive and macroscopically invisible splenic tissue. Second, it can mimic tumour recurrence in situations in which splenectomy has been performed for oncological reasons. This might cause difficulties in differential diagnosis and the clinical decision for reoperation. We report the case of a patient with suspected recurrence of renal cell carcinoma after total pancreatectomy and splenectomy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma, which finally revealed an accessory spleen as the morphological correlate of the newly diagnosed mass in the left retroperitoneum.

Surgical resection of metastasis to the pancreas

PURPOSE

Metastasis to the pancreas is rare, and the benefit of resection for pancreatic metastasis is poorly defined. The aim of this study was to review our experiences of the operative management of metastasis to the pancreas.

METHODS

Between 1995 and 2009, 11 patients (8 men and 3 women; median age, 54 years) were admitted to our institution with a metachronously metastatic lesion to the pancreas and later underwent pancreatic resection. The clinical features and outcomes of treatments were examined.

RESULTS

The primary cancers were renal cell carcinoma (RCC, n = 7), carcinoid tumor (n = 2), rectal cancer and leiomyosarcoma. Six patients underwent distal pancreatectosplenectomy, 3 pancreaticoduodenectomy and 2 patients underwent enucleation for small RCC. One patient died of metastatic RCC at 53 months after surgery and ten patients remain alive; four patients without disease at 7 to 69 months postoperatively, and the other six with disease at 11 to 68 months. Median postoperative survival of all patients was 34 months.

CONCLUSION

Patients with a low surgical risk should be considered for pancreatic metastasectomy if curative resection is possible. Primary cancer type, which is associated with survival benefit, would be the best candidate for surgical resection of metastases to the pancreas.

Pancreatic metastases: An increasing clinical entity

Pancreatic metastases, although uncommon, have been observed with increasing frequency recently, especially by high-volume pancreatic surgery centers. They are often asymptomatic and detected incidentally or during follow-up investigations even several years after the removal of the primary tumor. Renal cell cancer represents the most common primary tumor by far, followed by colorectal cancer, melanoma, sarcoma and lung cancer. Pancreatic metastasectomy is indicated for an isolated and resectable metastasis in a patient fit to tolerate pancreatectomy. Both standard and atypical pancreatic resection can be performed: a resection strategy providing adequate resection margins and maximal tissue preservation of the pancreas should be pursued. The effectiveness of resection for pancreatic metastases is mainly dependent on the tumor biology of the primary cancer; renal cell cancer is associated with the best outcome with a 5-year survival rate greater than 70%.

Total pancreatectomy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma with marked extension into the main pancreatic duct

A 59-year-old man who had undergone left nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) 14 years previously was admitted for the treatment of obstructive jaundice. Imaging studies showed head-to-tail dilation of the main pancreatic duct (MPD) and a few ring-shaped enhanced nodules. Main duct-type intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm was suspected and total pancreatectomy was performed. Pathologically, the entire length of MPD was filled with tumor. It consisted mainly of necrotic material, but included some clear cell carcinoma; the final diagnosis was metastatic RCC of the pancreas. This is an extremely rare case of pancreatic metastasis from RCC, with marked extension into MPD.

Survival data justifies resection for pancreatic metastases

BACKGROUND

Pancreatic metastases are uncommon and little is known about the oncologic outcome after resection or prognostic parameters. This study was designed to evaluate perioperative and follow-up results after resection for pancreatic metastases and to define prognostic factors.

METHODS

From a prospective database, all consecutive resections performed at our institution for pancreatic metastases between October 2001 and July 2008 were identified. Clinicopathological details, perioperative, and follow-up results were analyzed. Uni- and multivariate analysis were performed to identify parameters associated with overall and disease-free survival.

RESULTS

Forty-four resections were performed for pancreatic metastases. Primary tumors included 31 (70%) renal cell carcinomas (RCC) and 13 other primary tumors. Morbidity was 33% and mortality 4.4%. Pancreatic metastases occurred after a median interval of 6.9 years after resection of the primary tumor. Twenty-five patients (57%) had additional extrapancreatic disease. With a median follow-up of 32.1 months, overall 3- and 5-year survivals were 70.2% and 56.8%, disease-free 3- and 5-year survivals were 37.2% and 33%, respectively. Patients with isolated pancreatic metastases had an overall 3- and 5-year survival of 85.6% and 74.9%. Additional extrapancreatic disease, a disease-free interval of less than 36 months, and non-RCC entity were associated with shorter overall survival. Previous recurrence, non-RCC primary tumors, and a disease-free interval of less than 36 months were associated with shorter disease-free survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Resection for pancreatic metastases can be performed safely and with good follow-up results and can be recommended as part of an interdisciplinary treatment. Especially in patients with isolated pancreatic metastases, long-term survival can be expected.

Metastasis to the pancreas from colorectal cancer: is there a place for pancreatic resection?

PURPOSE

Pancreatic metastases from colorectal cancer are very rare, and the possible benefit of surgical treatment is not clearly defined. This study was designed to evaluate the outcome of patients undergoing pancreatic resection for metastatic colorectal cancer to the pancreas.

METHODS

Nine patients underwent pancreatic resection for metastatic colorectal cancer between January 1980 and December 2006. The primary cancers were colon (n = 7) and rectal carcinoma (n = 2). The median interval between primary treatment and detection of pancreatic metastases was 32.5 months. In three cases pancreatic metastases were synchronous with the primary tumor.

RESULTS

Five patients underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy, and four underwent distal pancreatectomy. A left lateral liver section and three colon resections were simultaneously performed in four patients. There was no postoperative mortality, and only two patients experienced complications. Survival averaged 19.8 (median, 17.0; range, 5-30) months: seven patients died of metastatic disease, one for unrelated disease after five months, and one is alive with liver metastases 30 months after surgery.

CONCLUSION

Surgical resection can be performed safely in patients with isolated pancreatic metastases from colorectal cancer and in selected patients with associated extrapancreatic disease. Although long-term survival is rare, surgery should be included, whenever possible, in the multimodality approach to this disease.