Japan Pancreatic Cancer Registry: current status.

The Pancreatic Cancer Registration Committee of the Japan Pancreas Society registered a total 17,130 patients with pancreatic cancer from 350 major hospitals in Japan from 1981 through 1995. Diagnosis with ultrasonography and computed tomography has become increasingly important as the methods used for first detecting a pancreatic lesion. Tumor resection was performed in 36% of the patients, and the 5-year survival rate of the patients who received resection was 18.2%. The rate of resection and results of surgical treatment have improved, which may be attributed to the increase in detection of resectable tumor and benefits of aggressive and extended surgery.