title: Long-term survival in pancreatic cancer: pylorus-preserving versus Whipple pancreatoduodenectomy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study compared long-term survival in pancreatic or periampullary cancer treated with Whipple pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) and pylorus-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy (PPPD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred twenty-one patients with pancreatic head or periampullary cancer were treated. Prognostic variables included age, gender, type and period of operation, and tumor stage. In the ductal adenocarcinomas variables also included tumor and node status, type of lymphadenectomy, pathologic grade, and presence of microscopic residual tumor. The end point was death as a result of neoplastic recurrence. Survival curves were estimated by using the Kaplan-Meier method, and multifactorial analysis was also performed on the data from the ductal adenocarcinoma group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mortality rate was 8.2% in the PD group versus 7.0% in the PPPD group. Morbidity rates were 34.4% for PD and 45.8% for PPPD. Five-year survival was 9.6% in the ductal adenocarcinoma and 63.8% in the periampullary carcinoma groups. Univariate analysis failed to show statistically significant differences in survival curves between the two treatments in either patient group. Correcting for multiple variables in the ductal adenocarcinoma group did not reveal any significant differences in survival rates between the two treatments.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PPPD was as successful as classic PD in the treatment of ductal adenocarcinoma and periampullary cancer of the pancreas. Long-term survival was not influenced by the type of resection.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Chirurgia Generale e Sperimentale, U.O. di Chirurgia Generale e Vascolare, Università di Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mosca
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Giulianotti
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Balestracci
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Candio
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pietrabissa
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sbrana
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rossi
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000601:surgery*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D016577:Pancreaticoduodenectomy / Q000379:methods*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011708:Pylorus; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis