Limits of surgery for pancreatic cancer

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer patients often present in an already advanced state of disease and the therapeutic approach is an interdisciplinary challenge. Surgery is an integral part in a potentially curative setting, yet in such advanced disease surgery can reach its limits. The technical feasibility has to be weighted against potential harms and the oncological reasonableness. In locally advanced disease, limits of surgery could be pushed as evidence grew. A venous vascular tumor infiltration nowadays does not preclude patients from surgery, as venous resections can be safely performed and survival rates are not inferior to patients with standard resections. Multivisceral resections have an increased risk of morbidity and mortality, but can improve overall survival. The resection and reconstruction of tumor infiltrated arteries is technically feasible, but these procedures have a high rate of associated morbidity and mortality with an unclear oncological benefit and therefore are generally not recommended. This also holds true for intentional palliative R2-resections, which do not offer a survival benefit but decrease the quality of life and have higher morbidity and mortality rates than palliative bypass procedures. A synchronous resection of the primary tumor and intraabdominal metastases in an olgiometastatic disease only offers a questionable oncological benefit and the evidence for this approach is scarce. Therefore, surgery in a metastatic disease is generally not recommended and has to be discussed interdisciplinary on a highly individual basis.Key words: pancreatic cancer multivisceral resection staging.