EMBRYOLOGIC BASES OF EXTENDED RADICAL RESECTION IN PANCREATIC-CANCER

Objective: To analyze whether an embryologic ''rationale'' exists to t he clinical and anatomicopathological data that suggest the execution of extended resections in patients with pancreatic cancer. Methods: Re construction of serial histological sections of 18 human embryos and f etuses regarding the pancreatic region; anatomical microdissections of two 9-month fetuses. Results: The ventral and dorsal pancreatic buds can be identified until the eighth week of development. A close develo pmental relationship between the dorsal pancreas and the lymphatic and nervous structures in the dorsal mesogastrium is observed. Other lymp hatic stations are exclusively related to the ventral pancreas. The po sterior fusion of the dorsal mesogastrium is a late event in embryolog ic development. Conclusions: The complete fusion of the 2 pancreatic b uds occurs later than previously reported in the literature. The close embryologic relations of these buds with the lymphatic and nervous pe ripancreatic structures may support the need for extended resections i n patients with pancreatic cancer.