Duodenum-preserving pancreatic head resection for pancreatic metastasis from renal cell carcinoma: a case report

Introduction We report a case of duodenum-preserving pancreatic head resection (DPPHR) for the treatment of pancreatic head metastasis from renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Case report The patient was a 59-year-old male with a medical history of RCC 18 years ago. Abdominal imaging studies revealed a hypervascular mass localized in the pancreatic head without distant metastasis or tumor invasion into the adjacent organs including the common bile duct and duodenum. Under the preoperative diagnosis of pancreatic metastasis from RCC, the tumor was completely resected by DPPHR. The pathological examination of the resected specimen confirmed the preoperative diagnosis. Conclusion As lymph node metastasis has been rarely reported in previous cases of pancreatic metastasis from RCC, DPPHR should be considered as a less invasive surgical option to provide a favorable postoperative quality of life (QOL).