Pancreatoduodenectomy following neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy in uncinate process pancreatic cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to delineate surgical outcomes of pancreatoduodenectomy following neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CCRT) in uncinate process pancreatic cancer (UPC).

METHODS: We reviewed 97 patients with resected usual pancreatic head cancer (PHC) and UPC and analyzed clinicopathologic characteristics and survival outcomes of PHC and UPC with a review of the reported literature regarding UPC.

RESULTS: Twenty-five patients (27.8%) had UPC, and 72 patients had PHC. Pylorus-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy was performed in 67 patients (69.1%) and conventional pancreatoduodenectomy in 28 patients (28.9%), and 2 patients needed total pancreatectomies. When comparing UPCs with PHCs, less frequent jaundice (P = 0.009) and more advanced stages of cancers at the time of diagnosis (linear-to-linear association, P = 0.03) were found in UPCs, and CCRT was administered more frequently in UPCs (P = 0.013). Survival outcomes between PHC and UPC were similar, with median survival rates of 25.9 and 30.5 months, respectively (P = 0.702). In addition, disease-free survival was similar between the 2 groups (15.6 and 15.2 months, respectively; P = 0.4503). Our oncologic outcome of pancreatectomy for UPC is likely to be more acceptable compared with those previously reported in the literature.

CONCLUSIONS: Although UPCs are found in relatively advanced clinical stages, favorable oncologic outcomes may be obtained by pancreatectomy following preoperative CCRT.