Pancreatic resection in a large tertiary care community-based hospital: building a successful pancreatic surgery program.

Pancreatic resection can be performed safely in the community-based hospital setting only when appropriate systems are in place for patient selection and preoperative, operative, and postoperative care. Pancreatic surgery cannot be performed optimally without considerable investment in, and coordination of, multiple departments. Delivery of high-quality pancreatic cancer care demands a rigorous assessment of the hospital structure and the processes through which this care is delivered; however, when a hospital makes the considerable effort to establish the necessary systems required for delivery of quality pancreatic cancer care, the community and hospital will benefit substantially.