Solitary pancreas metastasis from AFP-producing gastric cancer: report of a case

We herein present a case of resected pancreatic metachronous metastasis arising from alpha-fetoprotein-producing gastric cancer. A 75-year-old man underwent distal gastrectomy for alpha-fetoprotein-producing gastric cancer in November 1999. The staging group of TNM classification was Stage IIIA. The serum AFP level normalized after surgical resection. During the follow-up period, it increased to 42ng/mL in January 2002, and up to 550ng/mL in July 2002: Abdominal computed tomography disclosed a 4-cm mass in the tail of the pancreas and under the diagnosis of pancreas metastasis, distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy was performed. Following this, serum alpha-fetoprotein declined to 61ng/mL, and the postoperative course was uneventful. But it elevated again to 200ng/mL in August, and to 3500ng/mL in September 2002. Computed tomography revealed multiple liver metastases. He was treated with TS-1, but hepatic lesions continued to grow and he died in March 2003. To our knowledge, this case is the first report of resection of solitary pancreas metastasis of alpha-fetoprotein-producing gastric cancer.