Clinicopathologic features of two rare cases of mesenchymal metastatic tumors in the pancreas: review of the literature

Abstract

Objectives: A clinicopathologic presentation of 2 unusual cases of metastatic mesenchymal neoplasms in the pancreas.

Methods: The first case concerns a 26-year-old man with a history of intracranial mesenchymal chondrosarcoma (since the age of 17), 2 left lung operations, and 3 right thigh operations. Distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy was performed because of suspicious mass in the pancreas. The second case concerns a 66-year-old woman with a history of uterus leiomyosarcoma (10 years ago) with left axillary and right femoral metastases. She underwent distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy because of suspicious mass measuring 4 x 4 cm, in the pancreatic body.

Results: In the first case, the pathological examination revealed a tumor measuring 3.8 x 3.5 cm and histologically compatible with mesenchymal chondrosarcoma, developing in a vessel lumen and invading into the pancreatic parenchyma. In the second case, the pathological examination showed metastatic leiomyosarcoma of high-grade malignancy. The incidence of metastatic pancreatic tumors has been reported to be only 1.6% to 3%. Most of these tumors were of epithelial origin, and the most common sites of the primary lesions were the lung, kidney, and gastrointestinal tract.

Conclusions: The cases of metastatic uterus leiomyosarcoma and the metastatic intracranial chondrosarcoma are, to our knowledge, the first to be described.