Archives of Surgery
Pancreas-preserving total gastrectomy for gastric cancer

Arch Surg 2000; 135:89-94

Doglietto GB, Pacelli F, Caprino P, Bossola M, Di Stasi C.

Department of Digestive Surgery, Catholic University, Rome, Italy.

BACKGROUND:
Pancreas-preserving total gastrectomy for gastric cancer has been proposed to remove lymph nodes along the upper border of the pancreas without performing a distal pancreatic resection. However, the original technique includes the ligation of the splenic artery at its origin and thus carries the risk of pancreatic necrosis.

HYPOTHESIS:
A technique of pancreas-preserving total gastrectomy that includes ligation of the splenic artery approximately 5 cm distally from the root may reduce the risk of postoperative pancreatic necrosis.

DESIGN:
Case series.

SETTING:
Both primary and referral hospital care.

PATIENTS:
Hospital records of 228 consecutive patients who, according to a personal technique, underwent D3 pancreas-preserving total gastrectomy for gastric cancer from 1981 to 1997 were reviewed.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
Surgical complications, postoperative deaths, and survival.

RESULTS:
Hospital morbidity and mortality were 33.3% and 3.9%, respectively. No patients experienced pancreatic necrosis. The 5-year survival rate after curative resection was 53.6%: 96.9% for stage IA, 76.3% for stage IB, 63.0% for stage II, 35.6% for stage IIIA, 27.0% for stage IIIB, and 20.3% for stage IV (N3-positive patients) disease.

CONCLUSION:
Results of the present study show the efficacy of this method of radical resection for gastric cancer as demonstrated by the low incidence of postoperative complications and high survival rates.