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©2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Oct 15, 2014; 6(10): 381-392
Published online Oct 15, 2014. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v6.i10.381
Published online Oct 15, 2014. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v6.i10.381
Metastatic tumors to the pancreas: The role of surgery
Cosimo Sperti, Lucia Moletta, Giuseppe Patanè, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, 3rd Surgical Clinic, University of Padua, 35128 Padova, Italy
Author contributions: Sperti C and Moletta L conceived the article and drafted the manuscript; Patanè G carried out literature review and preparation of the manuscript; all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Correspondence to: Cosimo Sperti, MD, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, 3rd Surgical Clinic, University of Padua, via Giustiniani 2, 35128 Padova, Italy. csperti@libero.it
Telephone: +39-049-8218845 Fax: +39-049-8218821
Received: December 3, 2013
Revised: August 10, 2014
Accepted: September 4, 2014
Published online: October 15, 2014
Revised: August 10, 2014
Accepted: September 4, 2014
Published online: October 15, 2014
Core Tip
Core tip: Pancreatic metastases represent a rare but increasing entity among pancreatic tumors. We have reviewed the literature’s reports of the more common metastatic tumors to the pancreas, evaluating early and long-term results of surgery. Pancreatic resection may appear a safe and feasible option also in metastatic tumors, but long term survival is achieved substantially only in renal cell cancer. In other metastatic tumors, pancreatectomy may offer a good palliation in selected patients, but it is to remark that surgery is only one option in the multimodality treatment of metastatic disease to the pancreas.