Standard Versus Extended Pancreaticoduodenectomy in Treating Adenocarcinoma of the Head of the Pancreas

ObjectivesTo compare the postoperative complications and survival of standard pancreatoduodenectomy (SPD) and extended pancreatoduodenectomy (EPD) in patients with resectable adenocarcinoma of the head of the pancreas.MethodsBetween January 1994 and December 2011, 165 patients with biopsy-proven adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head were treated in West China Hospital, among whom 93 underwent SPD and 72 had EPD. Complications and survival after the surgery were analyzed retrospectively.ResultsThe median operation time of the EPD group was longer compared with the SPD group (375 minutes vs. 310 minutes, P<0.01), the volume of blood transfusion was larger (700 mL vs. 400 mL, P<0.05), while the median hospital stay (13.5 days vs. 12 days, P=0.79) and the total complication rates were comparable (34.7% vs. 32.4%, P=0.93). The total recurrence rates of the SPD and EPD groups were not significantly different (52.7% vs. 43.1%, P=0.83). No significant differences were found between the SPD and EPD groups in 1-year (81.7% vs. 86.1%), 3-year (38.7% vs. 43.1%), 5-year (16.7% vs. 19.4%), and median survivals (19.8 months vs. 23.2 months, P=0.52).ConclusionThe postoperative complications and survival donot differ significantly between SPD and EPD.