Abstract
From the view point of oncology and preservation of pancreatic function, distal pancreatectomy (DP) is an appropriate radical surgery for cancer in the pancreatic body and tail. The gastroduodenal artery is considered as a border of the resection area for distal pancreatectomy; therefore, total pancreatectomy (TP) and pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) are often performed as radical surgical methods for patients with pancreatic caners in the central pancreas near the gastroduodenal artery. However, TP abolishes all of the pancreatic functions, and PD is not curative enough for the pancreatic cancer located left to the portal vein. We here present our early experiences of extensive distal pancreatectomy (ExDP), which enables DP for patients with pancreatic cancer around the gastroduodenal artery, as a new surgical procedure for the cancer in the central pancreas.
