Results of surgical treatment of carcinoma of papilla of Vater

Giedrius Barauskas, Antanas Gulbinas¹, Juozas Pundzius

Department of Surgery, ¹Institute for Biomedical Research, Kaunas University of Medicine, Lithuania

Key words: ampulla of Vater; carcinoma; surgery; survival rates.

Summary. Adenocarcinoma is the most common malignant tumor of the ampulla, but in general, it is still rare. Therefore, these tumors are difficult to study, and most reports are of retrospective design. To evaluate immediate postoperative and long-term results, we have collected data prospectively in a specially created database on 21 consecutive patients with adenocarcinoma of the papilla of Vater, operated on at the Department of Surgery, Kaunas University of Medicine Hospital. All patients have undergone classical or pylorus-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy.

Postoperative mortality was 4.8% and overall morbidity – 28.6%. Pancreas-associated morbidity was 14.3% in the series.

Actuarial 3-year survival among our patients was 89%.

Stage I–II patients with T1–T2 and/or N negative tumors had significantly better 3-year survival when compared with stage III–IV patients, T3–T4 and/or N positive tumors. Patients with highly or moderately differentiated tumors (G¹, G2) survived better than patients with poor cell differentiation (G3), though significant difference was not achieved.

Results are satisfactory in terms of overall postoperative morbidity and mortality. Long-term survival pattern concerning T, N, and G status corresponds with other reports in literature, while the 3-year survival results are promising and speaks in favor of our surgical strategy.

Correspondence to G. Barauskas, Department of Surgery, Kaunas University of Medicine, Eivenių 2, 50009 Kaunas, Lithuania. E-mail: giedrius.barauskas@kmuk.lt

Received 18 November 2005, accepted 3 December 2006