Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the pancreas with effective comprehensive treatment

Abstract

Rationale:Primary squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the pancreas is a rare entity since the pancreas lacks squamous cells. This condition is associated with a poor prognosis, and there is currently no optimal treatment strategy for it.Patient concerns:A 64-year-old female patient with a complaint of epigastric pain for 3 months was referred to our hospital.Diagnoses:She was finally diagnosed with primary SCC of the pancreas with lymph node metastasis on the basis of radiological and pathological findings.Interventions:She received chemoradiation along with targeted therapy and was provided with treatment response evaluation through PET/CT.Outcomes:She eventually died of tumor progression after 8 months.Lessons:Primary SCC of the pancreas is associated with a poor prognosis. Comprehensive therapy and proper radiologic evaluation may facilitate prolonged survival of these patients.

Challenges in managing upper gastrointestinal bleeding secondary to primary squamous cell carcinoma of the pancreas: a case report and literature review

“…Pancreatic SCC is an extremely rare pancreatic cancer, with an incidence of 0.5% [ 6 , 9 ]. It is a unique cancer as the pancreas is devoid of squamous cells, and the histogenesis still remains unknown [ 1 , 6 , 9 ]. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the origin of cancer, including the malignant transformation of squamous metaplasia and squamous change in adenocarcinoma [ 1 , 9 ].…”

“…It is a unique cancer as the pancreas is devoid of squamous cells, and the histogenesis still remains unknown [ 1 , 6 , 9 ]. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the origin of cancer, including the malignant transformation of squamous metaplasia and squamous change in adenocarcinoma [ 1 , 9 ]. It carries a poor prognosis with a median survival of 10 months and 4 months in resectable and unresectable cases, respectively.…”

Locally invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the pancreas requiring multivisceral resection

“…In addition to this, previous case reports have identified patients presenting with upper gastrointestinal bleeding secondary to gastric invasion 4 . Diagnosis of primary SCC of the pancreas is made only after exclusion of other sites of primary disease, with previous case reviews reporting the use of FDG PET/CT as an exclusion method, as utilized in the presented case 5–7 . In addition to imaging, thorough histological examination of the resected specimen is required to exclude a glandular component 7 .…”

“…4 Diagnosis of primary SCC of the pancreas is made only after exclusion of other sites of primary disease, with previous case reviews reporting the use of FDG PET/CT as an exclusion method, as utilized in the presented case. [5][6][7] In addition to imaging, thorough histological examination of the resected specimen is required to exclude a glandular component. 7 Given the pathology's rarity and the absence of squamous epithelium in the pancreas, the pathophysiology of pancreatic SCC is unknown.…”

The impact of squamous cell carcinoma histology on outcomes in nonmetastatic pancreatic cancer

“…9 The prognosis for primary pancreatic SCC is thought to be poor compared with AC; however, this is based primarily on case reports and small case series. [9][10][11][12][13] Treatment paradigms for nonmetastatic pancreatic AC are well established; however, in cases of nonmetastatic, primary SCC, and A-SCC of the pancreas, the optimal definitive treatment strategy is unknown. No large studies exist to help guide clinical treatment decisions.…”