Open AccessPancreatic carcinosarcoma with rare long-term survival
Author(s) -
Zhe Jia,
Ke Zhang,
Ronghai Huang,
Xingang Zhou,
Li Jiang
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.59
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1536-5964
pISSN - 0025-7974
DOI - 10.1097/md.0000000000005966
Subject(s) - medicine , gemcitabine , carcinosarcoma , osteosarcoma , adenocarcinoma , tegafur , surgery , chemotherapy , pancreatic cancer , carcinoma , cancer , pathology
Abstract Patient concerns: We report a rare case of pancreatic carcinosarcoma involving a 44-year-old woman. The patient complained of discomfort associated with the upper abdomen and jaundice of skin and sclera for 1 week. Diagnoses: After hospitalization, relevant examinations were completed. The disease was diagnosed as carcinoma of the pancreatic head. Interventions: Whipple procedure was conducted in May 2013. Intraoperative exploration indicated 2 components of the tumor: a fish-shaped gray matter and a hard structure similar to cancellous bone. Histopathological examination showed adenocarcinoma and osteosarcoma. After surgery, the patient received 8 cycles of chemotherapy with gemcitabine and raltitrexed. Outcomes: Previous studies indicated poor prognosis for pancreatic carcinosarcoma. However, our patient survived for 31 months with no recurrence till date. Lessons subsections: Coexistence of pancreatic adenocarcinoma and osteosarcoma is very rare. Our case was also an exception in manifesting longer survival than expected.