Pathological complete response in a patient with metastatic pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma who received a chemotherapy regimen containing cisplatin and irinotecan

Clin J Gastroenterol. 2021 Dec;14(6):1772-1778. doi: 10.1007/s12328-021-01518-z. Epub 2021 Oct 1.

Abstract

Pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma is a rare tumor of the pancreas, and patients with such tumors rarely have a pathological complete response to treatment. Herein, we present a case involving a 48-year-old woman with a pancreatic tail mass. The pancreatic mass was connected to splenic and portal vein thrombosis. Distal pancreatectomy and removal of portal vein tumor thrombosis were performed. Ten months after surgery, multiple liver metastases and local recurrence in the pancreatic bed were detected, and chemotherapy was administered through the administration of a regimen containing both cisplatin and irinotecan. After seven courses of the cisplatin-plus-irinotecan regimen had been administered, computed tomography revealed that the patient had a partial response to treatment. Radical resection of multiple liver metastases and the locally recurrent tumor was performed. Pathological examination did not reveal the presence of carcinoma in any of the resected specimens. Thus, this case involves a pathological complete response in a patient with metastatic pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma who received a regimen containing both cisplatin and irinotecan. Our findings reveal that the administration of the cisplatin-plus-irinotecan regimen may be an option for the management of such tumors.

Keywords: Cisplatin; Irinotecan; Pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma; Pathological complete response.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use
  • Carcinoma, Acinar Cell* / drug therapy
  • Cisplatin
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Irinotecan
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms* / drug therapy

Substances

  • Irinotecan
  • Cisplatin