Metastases or primary recurrence to the lung is related to improved survival of pancreatic cancer as compared to other sites of dissemination. Results of a systematic review with meta-analysis

There are demonstrations that the prognosis of patients with isolated pulmonary dissemination of pancreatic cancer is more favorable than that of patients with other patterns of disease progression. The aim of this systematic review with meta-analysis was to evaluate the oncological outcomes of pulmonary vs. non-pulmonary metastasis of patients with pancreatic cancer. A total of 11 916 patients with sec- ondary spread of pancreatic cancer were included from 15 primary reports. In the setting of single-organ disease dissemination, the lung demonstrated a significant survival advantage over hepatic, locoregional, or peritoneal localization. In particular, patients who recurred in the lung after pancreatectomy, showed a significant survival benefit as compared to those patients with hepatic and locoregional relapse in terms of disease-free survival, survival after recurrence and overall survival.