Pancreatic Cancer with Brain Metastases: Case Report with Literature Review / 대한췌담도학회지

ABSTRACT

Pancreatic cancer is well known as a relentlessly progressive and fatal disease. Although distant metastasis is common at the time of diagnosis, brain metastasis originating from pancreatic cancer is rare and its clinical manifestation remains poorly described. Additionally, it is generally known that the prognosis for patients with pancreatic cancer and brain metastasis is very poor. Surgical resection of brain metastasis may play a limited role or may allow long-term survival in patients for whom the primary pancreatic cancer is well controlled. We present a case of brain metastasis in patient with pancreatic cancer after pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy and complete response to chemotherapy for hepatic metastases. Brain metastasis was resected successfully, but survival period was relatively short, even though the patient received curative treatment for pancreatic cancer. This case demonstrated that resection of brain metastatic lesion from pancreatic cancer being controlled may be helpful, but the timing of resection is also important.