Long-term survival in metastatic pancreatic cancer. A case report and review of the literature.

CONTEXT: Pancreatic cancer still remains an incurable disease. The survival rate of patients in all stages of the disease is poor. Overall median survival is 3-5 months with a 12-month survival rate of 10% and a 5-year survival rate less than 5%. CASE REPORT: We report a rare case of a long-term survivor (more than 10 years) of metastatic carcinoma of the pancreas tail controlled with subsequent surgical and chemotherapeutic strategies with an acceptable performance status and quality of life. DISCUSSION: This is the fifth case reported in the literature showing that long-term survival may be achieved even in advanced pancreatic cancer.