Background: Pancreatic cancer involving the portal vein and/or superior mesenteric vein (PV/SMV) requires pancreatectomy with venous resection (PVR). This study evaluated the long-term outcomes and related factors in patients undergoing upfront PVR.
Materials and methods: A retrospective, single-center cohort study included patients who underwent upfront PVR over a period of five years. Survival outcomes and prognostic factors were assessed using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and multivariable regression analyses.
Results: Of 404 patients who underwent upfront PVR, the 30-day mortality rate was 1.2%, and the 90-day mortality rate was 3.7%. The median overall survival (OS) was 19.8 months (95% CI: 17.5-22.9), with 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS rates of 71.4%, 40.8%, and 23.2%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that older age (>65 years), elevated preoperative CA19-9 levels (>200 UI/mL), poor tumor differentiation, and lack of adjuvant chemotherapy as predictors of decreased OS. Notably, radiological or pathological evidence of venous invasion was an independent predictor of poor survival while postoperative adjuvant treatment significantly improved OS in these individuals.
Conclusions and relevance: Venous invasion is an independent prognostic factor for poor survival in pancreatic cancer patients undergoing upfront PVR, and adjuvant chemotherapy contributes to an extend postoperative survival.
Keywords: pancreatic cancer; portomesenteric venous resection; staging system; vascular invasion.
Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.