Radiotherapy for locally recurrent infantile pancreatic carcinoma (pancreatoblastoma)

The authors report a case of recurrent pancreatoblastoma in a 3-year-old girl who was successfully treated with radiotherapy. The patient had two local tumor recurrences before radiation treatment; the second recurrence was managed with radiation alone. Computerized tomography scan at the completion of radiotherapy showed dramatic tumor regression. Six weeks after radiotherapy was finished exploratory laparotomy was performed; multiple biopsies showed no evidence of tumor. The patient is currently disease-free 2 years after completion of radiotherapy. This case suggests a role for radiation therapy in the management of children with pancreatoblastoma.