[Use of resources in the treatment of pancreatic cancer]

We calculated the costs of surgery for pancreatic cancer in 151 patients treated for carcinoma of the pancreas at Ullevål sykehus, University of Oslo, during the period 1980-89. The costs of the diagnostic process and the hospital stay were calculated separately. We found that radical surgery cost about NOK 80,000 more than a palliative operation. The median survival time after radical operation was only 11 months, compared with five months after palliative surgery. We are discussing the price of the surgery in relation to the results. We stress the importance of restrictive selection criteria for radical surgery of pancreatic cancer and conclude that the higher cost of radical surgery as compared with palliative procedures is acceptable.