Impact of postoperative complications on survival and recurrence in pancreatic cancer

We investigated the impact of postoperative complications on survival and recurrence after curative surgery for pancreatic cancer.

This study included 164 patients who underwent curative surgery for pancreatic cancer between 2005 and 2014. The patients were classified into those with postoperative complications (C group) and those without postoperative complications (NC group). The risk factors for overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were identified.

Postoperative complications were found in 61 out of the 164 patients (37.2%). The RFS rate at five years after surgery was 10.6% in the C group and 21.0% in the NC group. The RFS tended to be worse in the C group than in the NC group (p=0.1756). The OS rate at five years after surgery was 7.4% in the C group and 22.8% in the NC group, which was significantly different (p=0.0189). The multivariate analysis demonstrated that the occurrence of postoperative complications was a significant independent risk factor for OS and a marginally significant risk factor for RFS.

The development of postoperative complications was a risk factor for a decreased overall survival in the patients who underwent curative surgery for pancreatic cancer. The surgical procedure, perioperative care and the surgical strategy should be carefully planned to avoid complications.