Liver metastasis as an initial recurrence has no impact on the survival of patients with resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Background: Prognosis of the patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma is still poor due to a recurrence, and liver metastasis is a distant metastasis that is foreboded the short survival period.

Methods: Between 1999 and 2005, 68 patients for pancreatic adenocarcinoma underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy (n = 17), a pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy (n = 27), distal pancreatectomy (n = 22), or total pancreatectomy (n = 2) with an extensive lymph node dissection.

Results: A tumor recurrence occurred to 55 patients (13 of the liver, 21 of the local recurrence, 16 of peritoneal dissemination, three of the lymph node, and two of lung). The low tumor grade and female demonstrated a risk factor for a liver metastasis (P = 0.043, P = 0.031). A logistic regression analysis demonstrated female (P = 0.02) and low tumor grade (P = 0.04) as independent risk factors for recurrence with liver metastasis. The median survival time (MST) was 13.6 months, and MST of patients with a liver metastasis as an initial recurrent site was 13.7 months; the liver metastasis as an initial recurrent site has no impact on the MST after pancreatic resection.

Conclusions: We concluded potentially supporting the hypothesis that even patients thought to be at higher risk of liver metastasis may still be given the chance of resection, considering the satisfying survival.