Curatively intended surgery for exocrine pancreatic cancer.
Resective surgery for exocrine pancreatic cancer can currently be performed with little or no hospital mortality. The operation is most often performed as a Whipple resection, but several modifications (e.g., subtotal pancreatectomy) have been advocated. The pylorus-preserving modification has gained in popularity, although its ability to remove all lymph nodes has been questioned. Total pancreatectomy, always causing brittle diabetes, is performed in less than 10% of patients, and then more and more often as part of an extended operation, including major vessels, which must be substituted. Adjuvant treatment with impact on long-term survival is lacking; however, the results of curatively intended surgery for exocrine pancreatic cancer is slowly getting better.
Andrén-Sandberg
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Department of Surgery, Lund University Hospital, Sweden.
Hafström
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D006801:Humans; D007430:Intraoperative Care; D010180:Pancreatectomy / Q000379:methods*; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D016577:Pancreaticoduodenectomy; D010193:Pancreaticojejunostomy; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000379:methods