TITLE:
Rare Case of Pancreatic Cancer with Metastasis to the Skull Vault
AUTHORS:
Inas El Kacemi, Awatif Hazzaf, Mehdi Hakkou, Mohammed Y. Oudrhiri, Adyl Melhaoui, Yasser Arkha
KEYWORDS:
Skull Vault, Metastases, Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma, Systematic Review
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Modern Neurosurgery,
Vol.16 No.1,
January
16,
2026
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Pancreatic cancer metastasizing to the skull vault is extremely rare, representing less than 0.1% of metastatic sites from pancreatic adenocarcinoma, with a poor prognosis. The present paper aims to describe a rare pathology and the work carried out for the patient’s care. Case report: We report the case of a 71-year-old male patient. He presented with a subcutaneous swelling located in the right frontal-parietal scalp region, which had rapidly progressed over two months. The mass was painless, non-inflammatory, and associated with severe asthenia confining the patient to bed, a marked deterioration in general condition, unquantified weight loss, and intermittent abdominal pain radiating to the back. A biopsy was performed. The study protocol with immunohistochemistry reported positivity for CK7 (diffuse), CK19 (diffuse), and CK20 (focal and heterogeneous), compatible with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Conclusions: A rare case of skull vault metastases secondary to primary pancreatic adenocarcinoma was presented. The lesion was discovered before the primary cancer was diagnosed. This case report to the existing literature may provide additional guidance to clinicians managing patients with similar presentations.