Prognostic Factors and Survival Rate of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma after Curative Surgery

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This retrospective study aimed to identify the outcomes of resected pancreatic cancers and determine the prognostic factors for long term survival based on a single hospital experience. METHODS: Between January 1990 and February 2004, patients with a pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who had undergone resection at Severance hospital, Yonsei University, were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: Ninety-five patients underwent resection with curative intents for pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Sixty-seven (70.5%) patients had pancreatic head cancer, 27 (28.4%) cancers in the body and tail of the pancreas, and 1 had a diffusely spread type of pancreatic cancer. Procedures employed include Whipple resection (35.8%), pylorus preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy (33.7%), distal pancreatectomy (28.4%), and total pancreatectomy (2.1%). Stage Ia, Ib, IIa, IIb and III were present in 3.2, 4.2, 45.3, 44.2, and 3.2%, respectiely. The overall 5-year survival rate was 20.7%. Only low tumor stage was a significant predictive predictor of survival in univariate analysis (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Long-term survival in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma is determined by the disease stage. This result suggests that early detection would be necessary to improve the survival of patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma.