2026 Clinician Corner - Rare occurrence of pancreatic adenocarcinoma metastasis to the brain

Abstract 

A 56-year-old man with known pancreatic adenocarcinoma presented to the emergency department with facial twitching and a left-sided facial droop. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and subsequent biopsy revealed metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma with no other metastatic sites shown on computed tomography of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis. Following craniotomy and tumor resection, the patient has shown clinical improvement with no deleterious complications to date.    

Keywords:  Brain metastasis; brain tumor; pancreatic adenocarcinoma; surgical resection of brain mass 

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Faculty credentials/disclosure 

The planners and faculty for this activity have no relevant financial relationships to disclose. The patient consented to the publication of this report.

Process

Click the "add to cart/begin" button, pay any relevant fee, take the quiz, complete the evaluation, and claim your CME credit.  You must achieve 100% on the quiz with unlimited attempts available.

  • By completing this process, you are attesting that you have read the journal article.

Expiration date:

Credit eligibility for this article is set to expire on January 1, 2027.

Learning Objectives

After completing the article, the learner should be able to:

  • Recognize that pancreatic adenocarcinoma can metastasize to the brain without other metastatic sites. 

  • Identify appropriate treatment options, such as neurosurgery, stereotactic/whole-brain radiotherapy, and systemic pharmacotherapy. 

Key Points 

  • Pancreatic adenocarcinoma can rarely metastasize to the brain, which typically has poorer outcomes than other metastatic sites like the liver.  

  • Patients can present with brain metastases in the absence of other metastatic sites.  

  • Depending on the size and number of brain lesions, treatment includes neurosurgery, stereotactic radiotherapy, whole-brain radiotherapy, and systemic pharmacotherapy. 

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Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.00 American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) MOC Part 2
    Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.00 MOC points in the American Board of Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.
  • 1.00 American Board of Surgery (ABS) Accredited CME
    Successful completion of this CME activity enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME requirement of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABS credit.
  • 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
    The A. Webb Roberts Center for Continuing Medical Education of Baylor Scott & White Health is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
  • 1.00 Attendance
Course opens: 
01/01/2026
Course expires: 
01/01/2027
Cost:
$25.00

Hoang Dao, BSAa, Sangeetha Narayan, MPHa, Maria Isabel Juarez, MDb, Sahil Noorani, DOc, and Sadat Shamim, MDd 

 

a Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Bryan, Texas, USA 

b Division of Oncology, Baylor Scott and White Medical Center – Waxahachie, Waxahachie Texas, USA 

c Division of Anatomic Pathology, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA 

d Department of Neurology, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA  

 

Corresponding author: Sadat Shamim, MD, 3417 Gaston Avenue, Ste. 935, Dallas, TX 75246 (e-mail: [email protected]) 

The planners and faculty for this activity have no relevant financial relationships to disclose. The authors report no funding. The patient consented to publication of this case report. 

Accreditation

The A. Webb Roberts Center for Continuing Medical Education of Baylor Scott & White Health is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Designation

AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™

The A. Webb Roberts Center for Continuing Medical Education of Baylor Scott & White Health designates this Journal-based CME activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

ABS CC

Successful completion of this CME activity enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME requirement of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABS credit.

ABIM MOC

 Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.0 MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

Available Credit

  • 1.00 American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) MOC Part 2
    Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.00 MOC points in the American Board of Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.
  • 1.00 American Board of Surgery (ABS) Accredited CME
    Successful completion of this CME activity enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME requirement of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABS credit.
  • 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
    The A. Webb Roberts Center for Continuing Medical Education of Baylor Scott & White Health is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
  • 1.00 Attendance

Price

Cost:
$25.00
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