[Surgical management of pancreatic cancer: current practice and future prospect]

Pancreatic cancer still represents a serious medical concern for which no adequate solution has thus far been found. Surgical resection, when possible, remains the primary treatment modality and can result in long-term cure. The value of more radical resection remains open to debate, despite the negative results of some recent randomized trials with standard vs. extended lymphadenectomy. More effective patient selection, more rational resection, and more compositive treatment should be emphasized in management strategies. In the future, appropriately designed randomized trials of standard vs. extended resections may confirm the benefit of extended surgical resections. In addition, well powered trials of adjuvant therapies strategies together with surgical resections may identify more effective combinations, which may improve the survival of patients with pancreatic cancer.