A 79 year-old male who had undergone resection of the rectum for rectal can
cer was shown to have metastasis to the pancreas 11 years after surgery. Th
e metastatic lesion was located at the tail and body of the pancreas, and w
as resected with distal pancreatectomy. The same patient also had metastasi
s to the lung 8 years after initial rectal surgery. Therefore, the course o
f metastasis to the pancreas was suggested to be from the metastatic lung t
umor to the pancreas by hematogenous spread. The patient was considered dis
ease-free 8 months after the pancreatectomy.
Recent advances in the technology of diagnostic imaging have facilitated th
e selection of surgical therapy for metastasis to the pancreas in rectal ca
ncer patients after follow-up by imaging diagnosis.