Background: This retrospective study aimed to evaluate clinicopathological findings of remnant pancreatic cancers in survivors of invasive ductal adenocarcinomas of the pancreas (PDAC).
Methods: A group of 23 patients out of 826 who had curative resections for PDAC between 1980 and 2011 was identified and treated for metachronous pancreatic cancer.
Results: The following tubular adenocarcinomas were found at the first surgery: 3 well differentiated, 17 moderately differentiated, 1 papillary, and 1 poorly differentiated. Treatments for the remnant pancreas consisted of remnant pancreatectomy in 12 patients, chemotherapy in 6, and the best supportive care in 5. The mean time to treatment was 74.2 months. The 12 patients who received remnant resections had 10 PDACs and 2 intraductal papillary mucinous carcinomas. The median survival time was 31.6 months, and 8 patients are still alive.
Conclusions: Long-term survivors after curative resection for pancreatic cancer should receive follow-up for remnant pancreatic cancer, and aggressive resection should be considered for more favorable prognosis of PDAC.