[Problems on the treatment of early pancreatic cancer]

Surgical results on pancreatic cancer are extremely unsatisfactory, therefore early diagnosis is the most urgent problem. The definition and frequency of early pancreatic cancer were discussed. We developed a screening method for detection of early cancer of the pancreas. As a results of endeavor at early detection of pancreatic cancer mainly by screening method, nine (35%) of 26 curative resected cases encountered in the four years from 1978 through 1981, were found to be early pancreatic cancer. Out of 9 cases with cancer localized in the pancreas without metastasis, one case died after 4 years and 6 months, and remaining 8 cases have survived for 22 to 48 months. These cases could be called early pancreatic cancer. In most cases, cancer of the pancreatic head discovered through jaundice is advanced cases with bad prognosis, so it is the most important to detect early pancreatic cancer by our screening method, before appearance of jaundice.