Undifferentiated Carcinoma of the Pancreas – a Case Report

BACKGROUND: Undifferentiated carcinoma of pancreas (pancreatic cancer - PC) is a rare subtype of malignant PC. It was thought to be a sarcoma of the pancreas due to its typical morphological pattern. There are three histomorphological variants: anaplastic, sarcomatoid, and carcinosarcoma. There is also a separate category: undifferentiated pancreatic carcinoma with osteoclast-like giant cells. In contrast to ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreas, undifferentiated carcinoma of pancreas is characterized by more aggressive behavior, other predilection localization of tumor and different predilection for localization of tumor and metastasis, a larger primary tumor, and different symptomatology at the time of diagnosis. CASE: We present the case of a patient who was diagnosed with undifferentiated PC and was treated at the National Cancer Institute in Bratislava. We provide information about the clinical, radiological, and histomorphological characteristics of the disease, along with the diagnostic and therapeutic approach and a brief review of the literature. RESULTS: The patient was diagnosed with inoperable locally advanced disease and was treated with first line chemotherapy comprising gemcitabine and cisplatin, followed by second line treatment with FOLFIRINOX. No response was achieved; on the contrary, we observed progression of the disease and deterioration in the patients condition. Overall survival was 4.5 months from the time of diagnosis. CONCLUSION: The only appropriate therapeutic approach to this highly malignant disease is most likely “en-bloc” resection, which is possible only at the early stage of the disease. At present, no curative chemotherapy or radiotherapy regimen exists. The dominant features of undifferentiated PC described in the literature are aggressive behavior, an unfavorable prognosis, and chemo-refractoriness. Key words: pancreatic cancer - prognosis - chemotherapy The authors declare they have no potential conflicts of interest concerning drugs, products, or services used in the study. The Editorial Board declares that the manuscript met the ICMJE recommendation for biomedical papers. Submitted: 4. 6. 2018 Accepted: 25. 10. 2018.