A pancreatic anaplastic carcinoma of spindle-cell form.

Abstract

A 56-yr-old man with complaint of abdominal pain and body weight loss was admitted to our hospital. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography on admission revealed a pancreatic tumor. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography 1 m.o. after admission revealed rapid growth of this tumor. We performed exploratory laparotomy with only a needle biopsy of the unresectable tumor because of extensive spread, including liver metastases. Further histological and immunohistochemical examination revealed that both the pancreatic tumor and the hepatic metastases featured malignant spindle-shaped cells. Despite radiotherapy, the patient died 40 d after laparotomy.