[Pancreatic carcinoma--conclusions and prospects].

Whereas no progress has been made in the diagnosis of early tumors, the staging of pancreatic cancer has improved, mainly through the introduction of ultrafast MRI, resulting in a higher resection rate. The early results of standard pancreatectomy are now excellent (operative mortality < 2.5%). The late results after R0 resections are improving (> 30% 5-year survival), but they are poor overall. So far, extended surgical techniques have not brought any improvement here. Unfortunately, so far adjuvant radiochemotherapy has not proved effective in a recent randomized controlled trial. Molecular and genetic research has deepened our understanding of the cancerogenesis of pancreatic cancer without leading to clinical consequences so far.