A Case of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma in an Elderly Adult With Heterotaxy Syndrome

Heterotaxy is a syndrome characterized by a spectrum of anatomical anomalies in organ lateralization due to embryological errors. It frequently involves intrathoracic organs, especially the heart, leading to congenital abnormalities. Abdominal organs can also be affected, causing clinical features such as sepsis from asplenia or intestinal volvulus; however, these are less studied. Currently, there is no data on the relationship between heterotaxy and malignancy. We present an interesting case of an elderly adult admitted for a workup of newly diagnosed pancreatic ductal carcinoma, who was found to have heterotaxy of the stomach and spleen, with eventual tumor invasion of these organs. This case suggests that heterotaxy may increase the risk of gastrointestinal malignancy and result in a poorer prognosis due to the complexity of tumor resection involving additional organs.