[Limited surgical radicality in occult cancer of Vater's papilla]

Nine histologically proven benign adenomas of the papilla of Vater were consecutively treated by transduodenal full thickness excision and simultaneous staging of regional lymph nodes without severe postoperative complications. 4 patients had a small well differentiated (pT1 GIpN0) carcinoma, although there was neither macroscopically nor by frozen sections any suspicion of a malignant tumour. A more radical pancreatoduodenectomy was not carried out and the 4 patients are without tumour recurrence or metastases 1-8 years postoperatively.