title: Radical pancreatectomy for ductal cell carcinoma of the head of the pancreas.
abstract: Seventy-four patients were treated with a radical or a nonradical pancreatectomy for ductal cell carcinoma of the head of the pancreas. Their survival rates and the selection of the operative procedure were evaluated. In 32 patients, a radical pancreatectomy was attempted where there was sufficient clearance of regional or juxta-regional lymph nodes beyond the group of suspected metastatic nodes, as well as a resection of a greater margin of soft tissue around the pancreas. These patients' cumulative 5-year survival rate was 33.4%. In 14 Stage I or Stage II patients, the cumulative 5-year survival rate was 46.4%. In 18 Stage III or Stage IV patients, the cumulative 5-year survival rate was 20.7%. For 42 patients treated with a nonradical pancreatectomy with the dissection of lymph nodes adjacent to the pancreas or of regional lymph nodes but with insufficient clearance of the soft tissue around the pancreas, the cumulative 2-year and 3-year survival rates were 5.4% and 0%, respectively. In seven patients with Stage II carcinoma, the survival rate was 16.7% after 2 years and 0% after three years. In 35 Stage III or Stage IV patients, the survival rate was 3.2% after 2 years and 0% after 3 years. Thus, the survival rates were significantly higher in patients treated with radical operation than in patients who had nonradical operation. These results indicate that a radical pancreatectomy with sufficient lymph node clearance with the surrounding connective tissue around the pancreas is indispensable to cure patients with ductal cell carcinoma of the pancreas.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Manabe
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ohshio
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Baba
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyashita
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Asano
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamaki
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nonaka
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tobe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002285:Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D004386:Duodenum / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000601:surgery; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010180:Pancreatectomy; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*