[Our Experience of Staging Laparoscopy for Patients with Pancreatic Cancer before Initial Treatment].

BACKGROUND

Staging laparoscopy(SL)for patients with pancreatic cancer is used to identify occult abdominal metastasis (OAM). The aim of this study is to analyze the efficacy and safety of SL.

METHODS

Patients with pancreatic cancer who underwent SL before initial treatment at our hospital were included in this study. The short-term outcomes of the patients and the frequency of OAM detection were retrospectively analyzed.

RESULTS

Ten patients with pancreatic cancer were enrolled. The tumors were located in the head of the pancreas in 5 cases, and in the body and/or tail in 5 cases. The tumor diameter was 3 cm or more in 2 cases, and the serum CA19-9 level was 150 U/mL or more in 7 cases. No postoperative complications were observed in any of the patients. SL showed OAM in 2 patients.

CONCLUSIONS

SL can be performed safely and may be useful in detecting OAM and optimizing treatment strategy for pancreatic cancer patients.