Abstract
We herein report a case of long-term survival after hepatectomy for liver metastasis from cancer of the papilla of Vater and review the literature. A 55-year-old man underwent pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy (PPPD) in August 1998. The histopathological diagnosis was well differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma without lymph-node metastasis. Six years later, a liver metastasis (segment 8, single nodule, 7 cm in size) was detected on a follow up CT scan in 2004, and the patient was treated by segment 8 liver resection. He is alive without recurrence for 12 years after initial operation and for 6 years after hepatectomy. The review of the reported literature suggests that in selected patients with liver metastasis from carcinoma of the papilla of Vater, i.e. solitary, papillary or well differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma, and the duration of liver metastasis greater than 3 years after initial surgical treatment, hepatectomy is an option for long-term survival.
