Pancreatic Metastases of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Diagnostics (Basel). 2024 Sep 28;14(19):2164. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics14192164.

Abstract

Esophageal carcinoma is an aggressive cancer with a poor therapeutic response and a significant risk of recurrence after radical resection. It usually metastasizes to the lung, bones, or liver. Unusual spread can be found in other organs, but only nine cases of pancreatic metastases have been reported in the Medline database. In the present paper, a literature review of nine cases with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and pancreatic metastasis was carried out. In addition to these cases, we present our case, the tenth case in the literature. It involved a patient who underwent surgery for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and developed metachronous pancreatic metastasis 67 months after esophagectomy. Histopathological examination confirmed a squamous cell carcinoma metastasis. Conclusions: Pancreatic metastasis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is extremely rare. Pancreatic metastasis may develop several years after the treatment of the primary lesion. The diagnosis of metastasis is difficult, requiring histopathological and immunohistochemical examination.

Keywords: esophagus; pancreatic metastasis; squamous cell carcinoma.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.