EPIDEMIOLOGY OF PANCREATIC-CANCER IN ASTU RIAS 1973-1992

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma continues increasing in frequency, its diagn osis is usually realized very late and the results of the surgery, tha t is the only possibility of cure, gives often a feeling of frustratio n. During the period between 1973 and 1992, 1032 patients were diagnos ed of pancreatic carcinoma at the different hospital institutions of o ur region. The incidence has increased from 1.28 to 6.42 cases/100.000 . The proportion male/female was 1.5/1. Mean age of the patients was 6 7.5 +/- 11.35 and the median age was 65 years. In relation with the se x, the women age was higher: 70.2 +/- 11.81 (p<0.01). The best diagnos tic test was the CAT scan with 87.5 sensitivity. The overall resectabi lity rate was low (11%), but there is a large difference between the b eginning and the end of the period (6.8% and 14.1% respectively). Stag ing of the disease was stage TV in 36.4% of the cases. The 66.5% of th e patients underwent palliative surgery. Cholecystoyeyunostomy was the most frequent operation. It wasn't possible any surgical management a t the 3.5% of the cases cause of the disease was very extended; laparo tomy was the only method used in 18.7%. The average survival rate with exeretic surgery was 18 months; with palliative surgery, it was only of eight months, The natural history of pancreatic carcinoma was situa ted at 5.57 +/- 2.63.