Hard Pill to Swallow: A Rare Cause of Dysphagia

Abstract

Question: A 67-year-old man with a history of a pancreatic head cancer diagnosed in November 2017 underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy on January 2, 2018. The final pathology revealed a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, stage III pT3N2. His adjuvant treatment course began with 4 cycles of gemcitabine and xeloda. He was then transitioned to FOLFIRINOX chemotherapy for a total of 5 cycles, which was terminated early owing to poor tolerance in August 2018. The patient had no evidence of recurrent disease on his surveillance computed tomography scans of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis for the next 2 years.