Metastatic squamous cell carcinoma to the pancreas: Report of an extremely rare case

Secondary pancreatic lesions are very uncommon. Resection of these metastatic lesions with a curative intent has been reported in selected patients; however, the survival benefit from these procedures has yet to be clearly determined. A 78-year-old male patient presented to our department with obstructive jaundice. Three years prior to presentation the patient had undergone right pneumonectomy, due to stage IIA, low-grade squamous cell lung carcinoma. After resection, the patient received adjuvant chemotherapy, with no evidence of local or systemic recurrence over the following 3 years. Abdominal computer tomography on admission revealed a 3-cm lesion located at the head of the pancreas, causing biliary obstruction. Endoscopic ultrasound biopsy revealed malignant cells, suspicious for squamous cell carcinoma. Due to the limited extent of the metastatic disease and in view of the patient's good condition, surgical resection was proposed and the patient successfully underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy. Histological examination of the resected specimen confirmed a squamous cell carcinoma, with an immunochemical profile similar to that of the primary lung tumor. Therefore, pancreatic resection with curative intent may be feasible in selected patients with secondary metastatic tumors. However, further studies are required in order to determine the benefit of these major procedures in terms of survival outcomes.