Hepatectomy and pancreatectomy with combined vascular resection in patients with hepato-biliary and pancreas diseases at a single cancer institute.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In advanced cancers of hepatobiliary and pancreatic lesions, major vascular resection and reconstruction are necessary to accomplish curative resection, which may provide better patient outcomes.

METHODOLOGY: Surgical records, morbidity and mortality, and prognosis were examined in patients with combined vascular resection. Thirty-six patients underwent 18 hepatectomies and 18 pancreatectomies.

RESULTS: In 18 patients who underwent hepatic resection, the resected vessels were the portal vein (PV) in 10, vena cava or hepatic vein in 9 and right hepatic artery (RHA) in 3. An artificial graft was used in 2 to replace the vena cava. Vascular bypass was performed in 5 patients. Morbidity was due to biliary stricture in 1 patient and adult respiratory distress syndrome in another who died during hospital stay. Fourteen (82%) had cancer recurrence, of whom 12 died of cancer, one died of other disease, and 2 survived cancer-free. The 5-year survival was 28%. In 18 patients who underwent pancreatectomy, resected vessels were PV in 18 and RHA in 1. An artificial graft was used in 3 and vascular passive bypass was performed in 6. One patient died of sepsis after total pancreatectomy during hospital stay. Eleven (64%) had cancer recurrence, of whom 11 died of cancer, 2 died of other disease, and 4 survived cancer-free. The 3-year survival was 27%.

CONCLUSIONS: Complete surgical resection (R0) combined with main vascular resection could be safely performed in many patients with disease of the hepatobiliary and pancreas, which achieved longer survival in some patients even in the advanced stage.