Pancreatic cancer is among the most aggressive malignancies, and in China it accounts for a substantial and rising share of cancer deaths. High-quality, nationwide data on surgical treatment are essential for benchmarking practice and improving outcomes, yet such data have historically been limited.<\/p>\n
A new report was published in the Journal of Pancreatology recently. The China Pancreas Data Center (CPDC) is a national multi-center online registration system initiated with the support of the Chinese Pancreatic Surgery Association, Chinese Society of Surgery, and Chinese Medical Association. It analyzed 6,297 pancreatic cancer patients<\/a> who underwent surgical treatment at 65 centers across China between January 2020 and December 2021.<\/p>\n The median age was 64 years, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.2:1. Abdominal pain<\/a> and jaundice were the most common symptoms, and about 62.6% of patients presented with tumors in the pancreatic head or neck. Minimally invasive surgery was performed in 30.4% of cases, with a conversion rate of 24.9%. The predominant neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy regimen was nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine.<\/p>\n Surgical safety metrics were encouraging: in-hospital, 30-day, and 90-day mortality rates were 0.6%, 1.2%, and 3.1%, respectively. One-, two-, and three-year overall survival rates reached 75.8%, 53.3%, and 42.0%-figures the authors say align with established benchmarks from international high-volume pancreatic centers.<\/p>\n The study highlights that pancreatic cancer surgical care in China remains geographically concentrated in high-volume specialist centers, with nearly 45% of patients travelling across provincial borders for surgery. However, this pattern is driven by regional disparities, as over 99% of patients in advanced medical resource areas like Beijing and Shanghai received treatment locally. The authors emphasize the need to develop and roll out national-level benchmarks and standardized clinical protocols for pancreatic surgery across China.<\/p>\n Source:<\/p>\n Chinese Medical Journals Publishing House Co., Ltd.<\/a><\/p>\n Journal reference:<\/p>\n