Eight Year Survival Case of Pancreatic Body and Head Carcinoma in stage IVb with Postoperative Irradiation

Noboru Nakagawa, Tetsurou Yamane, Yasushi Takeda, Mitsuhisa Ueno, Syouzou Kitai, Shinji Okano, Masahide Yamaguchi, Yasushi Suganuma, Masayoshi Nakanishi and Motoyoshi Yasukawa

Department of Surgery, Matsushita Memorial Hospital

A 55-year-old woman with stage IV b pancreatic body and head carcinoma undergoing pancreatic tumor resection and postoperative irradiation experienced recurrence at the left cervical lymph node and underwent radiation therapy. She has remained diseasefree in the 8 years since surgery. It seemed that the long time survival reasons were the surgical resection for no residual tumor and postoperative irradiation. This shows that patients with stage IV b pancreatic carcinoma and progressive local or lymphatic spread but no liver metastasis or venous invasion, may experience long time survival after pancreatic tumor resection and postoperative irradiation.

Key words
pancreatic body and head carcinoma, postoperative irradiation, long-term survival

Reprint requests
Noboru Nakagawa Department of Surgery, Matsushita Memorial Hospital 5-55 Sotojima-cho, Moriguchi, 570-8540 JAPAN

Accepted
June 25, 2002

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