A Case of the Primary Small Cell Carcinoma of the Pancreas

ABSTRACT

A 57-year-old man with severe abdominal pain was admitted to our hospital. Chest PA and simple abdominal X-ray revealed no specific findings, but the abdominal-pelvis CT scan showed a 5cm sized multiloculated cystic tumor originating from the pancreatic head and a 3.2cm sized hepatic lesion that was suspected to be a metastic lesion. A radical operation was not able to be performed because of peritoneal metastasis and gastrocolonal infiltration. Only open lymph node biopsy was done and it revealed metastatic small cell carcinoma. Long-acting octreotide and gemcitabine was administered to the patient, but there was no therapeutic response. The tumor grew very rapidly to 26cm in size and the patient died 2 months later from his first hospital day. Necropsy was performed, and the pathologic finding of the resected mass was confirmed to be small cell carcinoma, the same as the result of the previous lymph node biopsy.