Cancer of the pancreas. Factors affecting survival.

Mean survival after diagnosis in 73 patients with cancer of the pancreas was 7.2 months. Mean survival was 8.7 months for patients who presented with obstructive jaundice, and 4.5 months for those who presented without jaundice, 8.2 months for patients with a head of pancreas tumour, 6.3 months for patients with the head and body tumour, and 5.0 months for those with the tumor in the body and tail of pancreas. Mean survival was 13.3 months for patients with a mobile, non-metastatic growth and 4.7 months when the cancer was fixed, or metastatic. Appropriate biliary and gastrointestinal bypass can prolong survival, as can radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy, while it is uncertain whether radical surgery prolongs survival. Uniform clinical and operative staging of pancreas cancer is desirable to learn about its natural history, and about the effects on survival of the various treatment modalities.