[Retrospective study on palliative treatment of pancreatic cancer]

A retrospective analysis included 119 patients with inoperable pancreatic cancer confirmed in histological examination. This group of patients was treated in Memorial Cancer Institute Cracow Branch between 1950 and 1993. The study revealed that a palliative operation (gastroduodenostomy, cholangioenterostomy or cholangiogastrostomy) was the factor of great influence on the time of survival. The average survival in operated versus not operated patients was 7.5 months and 4.0 months, respectively. Another factor exerting influence on the survival appeared to be the progression of the neoplastic process. The average survival in case of locally advanced versus disseminated disease was 6.9 and 2.3 months, respectively. Although the survival in the group of patients who underwent chemotherapy was longer, the significance of this method of treatment can not be estimated as the group was not numerous enough. The time from the beginning of symptoms and from the first physical examination to establishing diagnosis has prolonged in the last decade.