[Studies on TNM classification of carcinoma of the exocrine pancreas]

A total 17,121 patients with pancreatic cancer have been collected by the Pancreatic Cancer Registration Committee of the Japan Pancreas Society. Significant differences in the postoperative prognosis were observed between patients with tumor limited to the pancreas and with tumor extending to surrounding tissues or adjacent organs. The lymph node metastases and distant metastases were definitive factors on the prognosis after resection. It might was possible for the subdivision of regional lymph nodes as Japanese classification to provide the Stage classification. Further development of the TNM system is necessary for assessing the outcome of most advanced cancers.