Pancreatic Metastasis of Renal Cell Carcinoma Showing Accumulation by Somatostatin Receptor Scintigraphy

Abstract

Somatostatin receptor scintigraphy (SRS) is used to diagnose neuroendocrine tumors, but its clinical use in Japan remains limited. We encountered a case of pancreatic metastasis of renal cancer showing accumulation on the SRS. A 79-year-old woman underwent a left nephrectomy for cancer of the left kidney. A simple CT follow-up conducted 19 years after the operation revealed a mass-like lesion in the pancreatic body, and previous CT images were reviewed. This review showed that the dynamic CT conducted 12 years after the operation, had revealed a mass-like lesion in the pancreatic body that was heavily stained in the arterial phase, which gradually increased over time. Close examination using SRS showed increased accumulation throughout the tumor. A pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor was first suspected, and a distal pancreatectomy was performed. Histologically, the tumor contained a clear vesicle, which was diagnosed as pancreatic metastasis of renal cancer (clear cell carcinoma). SRS could indicate the accumulation in tumors other than neuroendocrine tumors; hence, caution must be exercised during the differential diagnosis of tumors with SRS.