Abstract
We analyzed the pathological features and sites of recurrence after pancreatectomy for invasive ductal carcinomas of the pancreas in 4 autopsied patients who died more than 5 years after their surgical resection. Pathological staging was Stage III in 2 patients and IVb in 2. The status of the residual tumor after surgery was R0 in 3 and R1 in one. The histological type was tubular adenocarcinoma in 3 cases and mucinous carcinoma in one. Autopsy findings demonstrated local recurrence and lung metastasis in all patients and liver metastasis in 3, peritoneal dissemination in 3, and other distant metastases in 3, suggesting the incidence of lung metastasis may increase in long-term survivors after pancreatectomy. These findings indicate that the risk of recurrence remains even though patients survive more than five years after surgery and that follow-up examination, including chest X-ray, because of the possibility of lung metastasis, should be continued.
