The role of surgery for pancreatic cancer: a 12-year review of patient outcome.
BACKGROUND
Pancreatic cancer has a poor prognosis with <5% alive at 5 years, despite active surgical treatment. The study aim was to review patients undergoing pancreatic resection and assess the effect of clinical and pathological parameters on survival.


METHODS
All patients who had undergone radical pancreatic surgery, January 1996 to December 2008, were identified from the unit database. Additional information was retrieved from the patient records. The demographic, clinical, and pathological records were recorded using Microsoft Excel. Survival was assessed using Kaplan-Meier and predictors of survival determined by multinominal logistic regression and log rank test.


RESULTS
126 patients were identified from the database. The majority (106) had a Whipple's procedure, 14 had a distal pancreatectomy and 6 had local periampullary excision. The average age of the Whipple's group of patients was 61.7 years (± 11.7) with most procedures performed for malignancy (n=100). Survival was worse with adenocarcinoma compared to all other pathologies (p=0.013), while periampullary tumours had a better prognosis compared to other locations (p=0.019). Survival decreased with poorer differentiation (p=0.001), increasing pT (p<0.001) and pN stage (p<0.001). Survival was worse with perineural (p=0.04) or lymphovascular invasion (p=0.05). A microscopic postive resection margin (R1) was associated with a worse survival (p=0.007). Tumour differentiation (p=0.001) and positive nodal status (p<0.001) were found to be independent predictors of mortality.


CONCLUSIONS
Tumour differentiation and nodal status are important predictors of outcome. A positive resection margin is associated with a poorer survival.
Hepatobiliary Surgical Unit, Mater Hospital, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Crumlin Road, Belfast BT14 6AB. stephenbadger@btinternet.com
S A
SA
Badger
J L
JL
Brant
C
C
Jones
J
J
McClements
M B
MB
Loughrey
M A
MA
Taylor
T
T
Diamond
L D
LD
McKie
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004701:Endocrine Gland Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D016015:Logistic Models; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010180:Pancreatectomy; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome