Surgical and Adjuvant Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer View PDF
Version (080529_Smeenk, Henri Gerard (Hans).pdf, 0.9MB)
Pancreatic cancer, including ampullary, distal bile duct and
pancreatic head cancer, is one of the most lethal human cancers
and still is a major unsolved health problem at the start of the
21st century. It has been estimated that this disease causes
30.000 deaths per year in the USA with an incidence of 9-10
cases per 100.000 and slightly increased male: female and black:
white ratios. The incidence of pancreatic cancer in the
Netherlands is approximately 8.4 per 100.000 patients. This
number has been quite steady over the past ten years. Pancreatic
cancer currently ranks as the fifth most common cause of cancer
related deaths in the western countries. Over the past 20 years
the disease continuous to have an appalling prognosis with less
than 1% of patients surviving more than 5 years from diagnosis,
so that mortality rates and annual incidence are virtually
identical. - pancreatic cancer