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Surgical treatment of pancreatic endocrine tumours in Italy: results of a prospective multicentre study of 262 cases

  • Endocrine Surgery
  • Published:
Langenbeck's Archives of Surgery Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Information on the treatment of pancreatic endocrine tumours (PETs) comes mostly from small, retrospective, uncontrolled studies.

Methods

Newly diagnosed, histologically proven PETs, observed from June 2004 to March 2007 in 24 Italian centres, were included in a specific dataset.

Results

Three-hundred and ten patients (mean age 57.6 years, females 46.6%) were analysed. At the time of recruitment, 262 (84.5%) underwent surgery. The percentage of operated patients was 91.9% and 62.0% in surgical and non-surgical centres, respectively. A curative resection was carried out in 83.6% (n = 219) of cases, a palliative resection (debulking) in 10.7% (n = 28), an exploratory laparotomy in 4.6% (n = 12), and a bypass procedure in 1.1% (n = 3). Laparoscopy was performed in 8.0% (n = 21) of cases. Resection consisted of a pancreatoduodenectomy in 46 cases (21.0%), a distal pancreatectomy in 95 (43.4%), an enucleation in 50 (22.8%), a middle pancreatectomy in 16 (7.3%) and a total pancreatectomy in 12 (5.5%). Liver resection was associated with pancreatic resection in 26 cases (9.9%). Post-operative mortality was 1.5% and morbidity 39.7%, respectively. A curative resection was performed more frequently in asymptomatic, small, non-metastatic, benign and at uncertain behaviour tumours, with low Ki67 values.

Conclusions

This study strongly indicates the fact that surgical resection represents the cornerstone treatment of PETs.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Monica Simonetti and Ennio Sarli of Centro Consulenze, Firenze, Italy, for their technical and statistical support. The study was partially supported by an unrestricted grant of IPSEN Italy.

Conflicts of interest

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pancreatic Surgery Section, Humanitas Scientific Institute, via Manzoni 56, 20132, Rozzano, Milan, Italy

    Alessandro Zerbi

  2. Pancreas Unit, Department of Surgery, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy

    Vanessa Capitanio

  3. Department of Surgery, University of Verona, Policlinico “GB Rossi”, Verona, Italy

    Letizia Boninsegna & Massimo Falconi

  4. Department of Surgery, Hospital of Padua, Padua, Italy

    Claudio Pasquali

  5. Department of Pathology, Catholic University of Rome, Rome, Italy

    Guido Rindi

  6. Department of Medicine, II Clinica Medica, Policlinico S. Andrea, Rome, Italy

    Gianfranco Delle Fave

  7. Department of Surgery, Cisanello Hospital, Pisa, Italy

    Marco Del Chiaro

  8. Department of Surgery, University of Bologna, Sant’Orsola Malpighi Hospital, Bologna, Italy

    Riccardo Casadei

Authors
  1. Alessandro Zerbi
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  2. Vanessa Capitanio
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  3. Letizia Boninsegna
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  6. Gianfranco Delle Fave
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  9. Massimo Falconi
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Consortia

AISP Network Study Group

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alessandro Zerbi.

Appendix A. Members of the AISP network study group

Appendix A. Members of the AISP network study group

   
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Zerbi, A., Capitanio, V., Boninsegna, L. et al. Surgical treatment of pancreatic endocrine tumours in Italy: results of a prospective multicentre study of 262 cases. Langenbecks Arch Surg 396, 313–321 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00423-010-0712-4

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