The effect of palliative biliodigestive operations for unresectable pancreatic cancer.
During a 12 year period 38 patients underwent various palliative biliodigestive procedures for unresectable pancreatic carcinoma. Jaundice, upper abdominal pain and weight loss was present in 82%, 53% and 40% of the patients respectively. Serum bilirubin was elevated in 95% of patients, on average almost 9 times the upper limit of normal. Alcaline phosphatase was elevated in 97% of patients, on average almost 5 times the upper normal limit. Fourteen patients died without leaving hospital, 10 within one month, for an inhospital mortality of 36.8%. For the remaining 24 patients mean survival was slightly more than 7 months. Only 4 patients survived for more than one year. Palliation thus was short but reasonably good as judged by decrease in serum bilirubin and alcaline phosphatase levels.
D000368:Aged; D001662:Biliary Tract Surgical Procedures; D003135:Common Bile Duct / Q000601:surgery; D013505:Digestive System Surgical Procedures; D004386:Duodenum / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005704:Gallbladder / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007583:Jejunum / Q000601:surgery; D008099:Liver / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008722:Methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies