SOLITARY METASTATIC TUMORS TO THE PANCREAS - A CASE-REPORT AND REVIEWOF THE LITERATURE

Secondary pancreatic tumors should be considered in those patients who present with a solitary pancreatic mass and who have had a previous n onpancreatic malignancy, The most common primary tumor origin of solit ary pancreatic metastases is renal cell carcinoma, but many other prim ary sites have been reported, Radiological studies are useful for dete rmining size and resectability, but a biopsy for tissue confirmation i s required to differentiate primary and secondary pancreatic tumors, S urvival data from patients who had solitary metastasis to other organ sites suggest that an aggressive surgical approach may improve surviva l, Characteristics of the primary tumor including tumor grade and hist ology may also affect prognosis, Prospective studies evaluating surviv al after surgical therapy have not been undertaken.