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. 1996 May;223(5):506–512. doi: 10.1097/00000658-199605000-00006

Management of adenocarcinoma of the body and tail of the pancreas.

M F Brennan 1, R D Moccia 1, D Klimstra 1
PMCID: PMC1235171  PMID: 8651741

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The authors examined the resectability, operative morbidity mortality, and survival of patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma of the body and tail compared with lesions in the head. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Adenocarcinoma of the body and tail of the pancreas is characteristically thought of as a disease that presents late and rarely is operable or resectable. METHODS: In an 11-year period, 1981 patients were admitted and entered into a prospective database at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center with a diagnosis of peripancreatic cancer, 1363 of whom had adenocarcinoma of the pancreas, 75% with lesions in the head and 25% with lesions in the body and tail. RESULTS: Of 271 patients resected, 237 (23%) had lesions in the head and 34 (10%) had body and tail lesions. Perioperative mortality was 4% for patients with pancreatic lesions in the head and 0% for patients with pancreatic lesions in the body and tail. Five-year actuarial survival for body and tail lesions was projected at 14% for 5 years. Actual survival was 19%, with three patients alive for more than 5 years. CONCLUSIONS: Adenocarcinoma of the body and tail of the pancreas, although less likely to be resectable at presentation than lesions in the pancreatic head, have similar postresection survival.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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