METASTATIC SOLID CYSTIC TUMOR OF THE PANCREAS TO THE LIVER EIGHT YEARS AFTER OPERATION IN AN ELDERLY WOMAN

We report a case of metastatic solid cystic tumor (SCT) of the pancreas to the liver eight years after operation. A 79-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital because of a right hypochondrial mass in 1997. There was a previous history of undergoing a distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy for SCT in 1989. Radiological findings revealed that a 6cm sized encapsulated tumor projected out of the lower edge of the liver, and that the tumor was composed of solid and cystic portions concomitantly with hemorrhage. With a diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma or liver metastasis of SCT, a partial hepatectomy was performed. Postoperative course was uneventful, and the definite diagnosis of liver metastasis of SCT was made by histopathological study. SCT of the pancreas is known to occur in young women, and usually to have favorable prognosis without metastasis and recurrence. However, some controversial problems have still remained. This paper presents a clinico-pathological features of 25 cases of SCT with liver metastasis where is the most common site for metastasis of SCT, including this case, reported in the Japanese literature so far.