The current state of surgery for pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer mortality in the United States, with a dismal 5-year survival of only 6% for all stages. Surgical resection offers the best opportunity for prolonged survival at this time, but is limited to patients with locally resectable tumors and no distant metastases. Although only 10-20% of patients present with early stage disease are amenable to surgical resection, remarkable advancements have been made over the past several decades leading to improved morbidity and mortality after pancreatic resection. This article will review the current state of pancreatic surgery including its role in the multidisciplinary approach to pancreatic cancer treatment, advances and controversies in surgical technique, and the limitations of surgical therapy that will need to be addressed in the future to improve survival for patients with pancreatic cancer.