[A Case of Postoperative Pancreatic Fistula Presenting as PET-Negative Lymph Node Swelling Following Gastrectomy for...

Herein, we report a rare case of a pancreatic fistula mimicking nodal metastasis after surgery for gastric cancer. A 76-year-old woman developed swelling of the No. 6 lymph node and elevated CEA levels 5 months after gastrectomy. Despite the absence of FDG uptake on PET-CT, recurrence was suspected, and laparoscopic resection was performed. Histological examination revealed necrosis with pancreatic juice retention, indicating fistula-related inflammation. This case highlights the importance of differential diagnosis and diagnostic laparoscopy in PET-negative cases.