Splenic metastasis from gastrointestinal neoplasms: a review

Spleen metastases from solid tumours are rather exceptional, especially for those located in the digestive tract. Although these lesions are usually associated with multivisceral disease at terminal stage, several cases of isolated lesions have also been described in the literature. Diagnosis of spleen lesions associated with multivisceral disease rarely influences patient's outcome. On the other hand, isolated, only-splenic lesions could be curatively treated, allowing physicians to obtain better patient's survival. The aim of this article is therefore to review and summarize a systematic search of all the literature in English based on a Medline search (Pubmed) carried out from January 2000 to February 2011, focusing on only-spleen lesions secondary to digestive tract cancers, and pointing out diagnostic and treatment challenges medical oncologists have to face in their clinical practice.