Surgical approaches for resection of pancreatic cancer: an overview.
OBJECTIVE: To overview the different surgical approaches for the resection of pancreatic cancer and our experience with these techniques. METHODS: Surgical procedures including the Whipple resection, Pylorus-preserving resection, total and subtotal panreatectomies, regional pancreatectomy and the extended lymph node resection were discussed. RESULTS: Studies have shown that no operation seems to produce significantly improved results in terms of survival, mortality and resection rates compared to the standard Whipple resection and pylorus-preserving duodenopancreatectomy. CONCLUSION: Despite the progress in the surgical treatment of pancreatic cancer, the overall prognosis after resection remains unsatisfied. Surgery is likely to be optional for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.