Subcutaneous metastasis at a surgical drain site after the resection of pancreatic cancer

Abstract

The aggressive nature of pancreatic cancer makes surgical control of disease an arduous challenge. Tumor seeding during resection is a feared complication during operations performed for this disease. Recurrence within the peritoneal cavity commonly occurs after resection for curative intent. Cutaneous metastasis, however, is a rare event. The majority of skin metastasis reported in the literature occurred after palliative procedures, in which the tumor burden remains. In this report, we describe an unusual case of cutaneous recurrence at the site of a surgical drain after resection for curative intent and discuss the impact of surgery on tumor-growth characteristics.