Chun Ye1, Peng-Cheng Xi, Xian-Gui Hu. 1. Department of General Surgery, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China. thomas2000@citiz.net
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To analyse the clinical features of uncinate process carcinoma of the pancreas and the diagnosis and treatment of this malignancy. METHOD: Fifty-nine patients with pancreas uncinate process carcinoma treated from January 1998 to September 2002 at our hospital were analysed retrospectively. RESULTS: Major symptoms of these patients were upper abdominal pain accompanied with lumbar pain, body weight loss and jaundice. Thirty-seven patients received regional pancreaticoduodenectomy (RP), 16 partial resection of the superior mesenteric vein-portal vein (SMV-PV) or superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and reconstruction, 1 anhydrous alcohol injection in the celiac nerve plexus, regional chemotherapy via a chemotherapy pump, and liver biopsy, and 5 no operation. The survival of the patients after operation was 2-46 months (median 12.1 months). Eleven patients are still alive with a longest survival of 46 months. The 1- and 3-year survival rates were 37.7% and 5.6%. CONCLUSIONS: Pancreas uncinate process carcinoma invading the adjacent SMV/SMA-PV causes difficulty in early diagnosis and poor prognosis, which are related to its location, not tumor's aggressive nature. This carcinoma has a high resection rate of 89.8%.
OBJECTIVE: To analyse the clinical features of uncinate process carcinoma of the pancreas and the diagnosis and treatment of this malignancy. METHOD: Fifty-nine patients with pancreas uncinate process carcinoma treated from January 1998 to September 2002 at our hospital were analysed retrospectively. RESULTS: Major symptoms of these patients were upper abdominal pain accompanied with lumbar pain, body weight loss and jaundice. Thirty-seven patients received regional pancreaticoduodenectomy (RP), 16 partial resection of the superior mesenteric vein-portal vein (SMV-PV) or superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and reconstruction, 1 anhydrous alcohol injection in the celiac nerve plexus, regional chemotherapy via a chemotherapy pump, and liver biopsy, and 5 no operation. The survival of the patients after operation was 2-46 months (median 12.1 months). Eleven patients are still alive with a longest survival of 46 months. The 1- and 3-year survival rates were 37.7% and 5.6%. CONCLUSIONS:Pancreas uncinate process carcinoma invading the adjacent SMV/SMA-PV causes difficulty in early diagnosis and poor prognosis, which are related to its location, not tumor's aggressive nature. This carcinoma has a high resection rate of 89.8%.