Journal of Pancreatology (Mar 2019)

The current surgical treatment of pancreatic cancer in China: a national wide cross-sectional study

  • Wenming Wu, MD,
  • Gang Jin, MD,
  • Chunyou Wang, MD,
  • Yi Miao, MD,
  • Huaizhi Wang, MD,
  • Wenhui Lou, MD,
  • Xianjun Yu, MD,
  • Bei Sun, MD,
  • Haimin Li, MD,
  • Renyi Qin, MD,
  • Zheng Wu, MD,
  • Weilin Wang, MD,
  • Kesen Xu, MD,
  • Lei Wang, MD,
  • Tingbo Liang, MD,
  • Chunyi Hao, MD,
  • Heguang Huang, MD,
  • Yixiong Li, MD,
  • Guang Tan, MD,
  • Yongfu Zhao, MD,
  • Jihui Hao, MD,
  • Yifan Wang, MD,
  • Chenghong Peng, MD,
  • Xubao Liu, MD,
  • Jinrui Ou, MD,
  • Chunhui Yuan, MD,
  • Xuefeng Wang, MD,
  • Yinmo Yang, MD,
  • Shouwang Cai, MD,
  • Kejian Guo, MD,
  • Jianxin Jiang, MD,
  • Xiao Yu, MD,
  • Junmin Wei, MD,
  • Fei Li, MD,
  • Xinmin Wu, MD,
  • Yupei Zhao, MD,
  • and Pancreatic Surgery Study Group of Chinese Society of Surgery of Chinese Medical Association

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1097/JP9.0000000000000012
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 2, no. 1
pp. 16 – 21

Abstract

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Abstract. Objective:. The aim of this study is to investigate the current status of pancreatic cancer patients undoing surgical treatment in China and to find ways to improve the survival of these patients in the future. Methods:. This study is a national, multicenter, cross-sectional study in China. Information regarding pancreatic cancer patients undergoing surgical treatment from 34 high-volume tertiary IIIA level hospitals was collected and analyzed from the March 1, 2016 to the February 28, 2017. Results:. In total, 2200 pancreatic cancer patients were enrolled from 34 tertiary IIIA level hospitals in 16 provinces across China. The male-to-female ratio was 1.5. More than 80% of the patients were between 50 and 70 years old. The top 4 symptoms were epigastric discomfort, abdominal pain, jaundice, and weight loss. Carbohydrate antigen 19-9 and carcinoembryonic antigen were elevated in 70.9% and 27.1% of patients, respectively. A multidisciplinary team (MDT) discussion was carried out for 35.0% of patients before surgery. The proportion of minimally invasive pancreatic surgeries was approximately 20%. A total of 83.4% of the operations achieved R0 resection, and the incidence of grade 3/4 postoperative complications was 7.7%. Only 13.4% of the patients received postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. The percentage of pathological stage I tumors was only 24.5%. Conclusion:. The majority of pancreatic cancer patients undergoing surgical resection in China are in an advanced stage. The MDT consultations for pancreatic cancer have not been widely carried out. R0 resection has been achieved in most cases, with relatively low incidence of serious complications, but minimally invasive pancreatic surgery should be further promoted. The application of postoperative chemotherapy remains low. This national, multicentre, cross-sectional study comprehensively presents the current status of pancreatic cancer patients undergoing surgical treatment and shows the road to improve survival of these patients in the future.