Laparoscopic-assisted distal gastrectomy and central pancreatectomy for gastric and perigastric lymph node metastases and pancreatic invasion from melanoma: a case report

The role of resection for melanoma metastases to the pancreas

BACKGROUND

Among patients with distant metastatic melanoma, the site of metastases is the most significant predictor of survival and visceral-nonpulmonary metastases hold the highest risk of poor outcomes. However, studies demonstrate that a significant percentage of patients may be considered candidates for resection with improved survival over nonsurgical therapeutic modalities. We aimed at analyzing the results of resection in patients with melanoma metastasis to the pancreas by assessing the available evidence.

METHODS

The PubMed/MEDLINE, WoS, and Embase electronic databases were systematically searched for articles reporting on the surgical treatment of pancreatic metastases from melanoma. Relevant data from included studies were assessed and analyzed. Overall survival was the primary endpoint of interest. Surgical details and oncological outcomes were also appraised.

RESULTS

A total of 109 patients treated surgically for pancreatic metastases were included across 72 articles and considered for data extraction. Overall, patients had a mean age of 51.8 years at diagnosis of pancreatic disease. The cumulative survival was 71%, 38%, and 26% at 1, 3 and 5 years after pancreatectomy, with an estimated median survival of 24 months. Incomplete resection and concomitant extrapancreatic metastasis were the only factors which significantly affected survival. Patients in whom the pancreas was the only metastatic site who received curative resection exhibited significantly longer survival, with a 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year survival rates of 76%, 43%, and 41%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Within the limitations of a review of non-randomized reports, curative surgical resection confers a survival benefit in carefully selected patients with pancreatic dissemination of melanoma.

Endoscopic diagnosis of gastric metastases from malignant melanoma: systematic review

Background/Aims

Metastases of malignant melanoma (MM) are rare and associated with poor prognosis. The objective of this study was to analyze the clinical and endoscopic characteristics of gastric metastases of MM by systematically reviewing cases and case series involving patients diagnosed using upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.

Methods

The PubMed and LILACS databases were searched. Reports containing individual patient data were included. Outcomes such as clinical data, endoscopic findings, treatments, and survival were analyzed.

Results

A total of 88 studies with individual data from 113 patients with gastric metastases of MM were included. The primary sites of MM were the skin (62%), eyes (10%), and mucous membranes (6%). Most patients (56%) had multiple metastases in the stomach, located predominantly in the gastric body (approximately 80%). The overall survival rate at 2 years was 4%. There was a significant reduction in the survival of patients with multiple gastric metastases compared to that of patients with single metastasis (hazard ratio, 0.459; 95% confidence interval, 0.235−0.895; p=0.022).

Conclusions

Gastric metastases of MM have a poor prognosis, especially in patients with multiple implants in the stomach. Additional studies are needed to verify whether ocular and mucosal melanomas are associated with a higher risk of gastric metastases than that of cutaneous melanomas.