1990 Volume 23 Issue 3 Pages 721-726
Twenty patients who underwent resection for carcinoma of the pancreas were reviewed clinicopathologically with respect to factors influencing their prognosis. The pancreatic cancer was characterized by mostly tubular adenocarcinoma spreading invasively into the surrounding tissues, and the incidence of invasion to lymphatic vessels, nerves and veins was 90%, 80% and 60%, respectively. Tumor size of more than 4 cm, capsular invasion of the tumor, and invasion to retroperitoneal tissues shortened the survival time. Invasion to veins and lymphatic vessels influenced the outcome, and was demonstrated in all cases in which the patient died of liver metastasis within one year after resection of the tumor. Therefore, methods for preventing liver metastasis as well as extended surgery should be used in the treatment for carcinoma of the pancreas.
