Oncological problems in pancreatic cancer surgery

Despite the development of more sophisticated diagnostic techniques, it remains difficult to detect pancreatic carcinoma in the early stage. The resection rate has been increasing due to recent advances in surgical techniques and the application of extensive surgery. However, the postoperative prognosis has been poor due to commonly occurring liver metastasis. Recent molecular-biological studies have been clarifying occult liver metastasis and systemic disease in pancreatic cancer. This paper will review our experience and several problems in pancreatic cancer surgery.