Complete resection of isolated pancreatic metastatic melanoma: a case report and review of the literature.

Isolated metastatic melanoma of the pancreas is very rare. Currently, there is very limited experience with surgical resection of pancreatic metastasis. The potential benefit of metastasectomy can improve the quality of life and survival time of patients. We present a case of a 39-year-old Chinese male with a solitary pancreatic tumor which was considered a cystic benign lesion for years. Pathology and immunohistochemistry showed that the tumor in pancreatic tail was a metastasis from a malignant melanoma of the eyeball. No other metastastic foci were found in abdomen. The tumor was completely resected with combined distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy. The patient has survived 25 mo without any signs of local recurrence or other metastatic lesions after operation, indicating that complete surgical resection of a solitary metastatic melanoma of the pancreas can prolong the survival time of patients.