A review on the role of laparoscopy in pancreatic cancer

Background : Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States and leads to an estimated 227,000 deaths per year worldwide. Palliative and curative treatments are used for pancreatic cancer by laparoscopic or open techniques. The role of laparoscopy in pancreatic cancer is evaluated in this study. Material and Methods : Electronic databases, such as PubMed/ MEDLINE and Google Scholar were searched to identify reports of trials for laparoscopic pancreatic surgery. Articles written in English including the maximum number of patients published between 2010 and 2014 were included. Results : Recent reports on laparoscopic surgery of the pancreas are encouraging and support the advantages of laparoscopy. Although large series have been reported for benign pancreatic tumors treated with laparoscopic procedures, only limited data are available for malignant lesions. Most of these studies are retrospec- tive, but the results encourage laparoscopic procedures. Conclusion: Over the last decade laparoscopic pancreatic surgery has emerged as an alternative to open surgery with many advantages. There are limited data on about laparoscopic approach for the treatment of malignant lesions. The results are in favor of laparoscopy. (Acta gastroenterol. belg., 2016, 79, 233-238).