Squamous cell carcinoma of pancreas: an unusual site of relapse from early-stage lung cancer: 12-month postsurgery

Abstract

SUMMARYA 57-year-old man presented with abdominal pain and backache, weight loss of 10 kg and irregular bowel movements. He was previously diagnosed with Stage IB squamous cell carcinoma of lung and had undergone lobectomy 12 months previously. Investigations including imaging revealed a cystic mass in the body and tail of the pancreas which was biopsied and it was confirmed to be a recurrence of the squamous lung cancer involving the pancreas. He was treated with systemic chemotherapy and has shown a partial response on repeat imaging. This case illustrates a rare and unusual site of relapse in lung cancer after adjuvant therapy and a key message for follow-up surveillance for these patients. BACKGROUND

Pancreatic metastasis from squamous cell lung cancer: computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging findings

“…To our knowledge, only eight cases of metastatic lung squamous cell carcinoma in the pancreas have been reported in the English literature worldwide to date. 4 , 9 – 15 We report the ninth and tenth cases of pancreatic metastasis secondary to squamous cell lung carcinoma ( Table 1 ). In the 10 cases, the patients’ age ranged from 44 to 78 years, and there was an obvious predilection for men, with a female to male ratio of 1:4.…”

“… 1 , 16 In the reported 10 cases, only four patients had metastasis in other locations, namely the brain, lung, liver, and lymph nodes. 4 , 10 , 13 , 14 The time interval between the diagnosis of the primary tumor and metastasis to the pancreas varies widely. 17 In the reported 10 cases, pancreatic metastasis was synchronous, originating from squamous cell lung cancer, in 2 cases.…”

Metastases to the Pancreas Encountered on Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided, Fine-Needle Aspiration

“…Metastasis to the pancreas is reported to occur in 14% of patients examined at autopsy. 17,18 The most common histologic type encountered in this setting is small cell carcinoma (10%), followed by adenocarcinoma (2.4%), large cell carcinoma (1.9%), and squamous cell carcinoma (1.1%). 19 Most cases of metastatic lung cancer to the pancreas are found incidentally on radiologic imaging and staging in patients with widely disseminated disease.…”