Average hospital stay was 8.3 days. There were no biliary or duodenal leaks. No patient developed recurrent biliary obstruction. Choledochoduodenostomy provides rapid, long-lasting relief of jaundice, with little morbidity and a low rate of duodenal ulceration, and is the palliative operation of choice when patients are found to have unresectable disease at operation or when stenting procedures fail. The San Antonio Drug Development Team.
Pancreatic cancer is a major cause of death from cancer in both men and women in the USA and Europe.
The disease causes pain and has a significant impact on the performance status of the patient. At least two thirds of patients with pancreatic cancer are still unsuitable for resection, because of the extent of their disease or because of their high-risk conditions. In these cases, a palliative treatment is indicated to maximize the quality of life, in spite of the poor prognosis. Major percentages were reported after explorative laparotomies. Patients with stage II tumours survived palliative surgery for about 12.8 months, compared with those with stage III and IV tumours, who survived for about 10.6 and 5 months, respectively.