BACKGROUND/AIMS The purpose of this study was to examine the clinical features of metastatic tumors of the pancreas (MTPs) in Korea.

METHODS A total of 53 cases (31 males) of pathologically proven MTPs were collected. Clinicopathological characteristics and patient outcomes were evaluated.

RESULTS The median age at the diagnosis of the MTP was 60 years. The median interval between the diagnoses of primary malignancy and MTP was 2.2 years. Primary malignancies were renal cell carcinoma (RCC) (n=14), gastric cancer (n=11), colorectal cancer (n=5), lymphoma (n=4), non-small cell lung cancer (n=3), gastrointestinal stromal tumor (n=2), melanoma (n=2), small cell lung cancer (n=2), gallbladder cancer (n=2), hepatocellular carcinoma (n=1), thymic carcinoid (n=1), liposarcoma (n=1), cholangiocarcinoma (n=1), osteosarcoma (n=1), breast cancer (n=1), duodenal cancer (n=1), and ovarian cancer (n=1). The median survival after the diagnosis of MTP was 23.1 months. Multivariate analysis showed that prolonged survival was associated with RCC as the primary malignancy, the patient being asymptomatic upon the diagnosis of MTP, the absence of extrapancreatic involvement, and surgery included in the treatment.

CONCLUSIONS MTPs can occur after a prolonged period from the primary diagnosis. RCC as the primary malignancy, the patient being asymptomatic upon the diagnosis of MTP, the absence of extrapancreatic involvement, and surgery included in the treatment are associated with better prognosis.