The effect of palliative biliodigestive operations for unresectable pancreatic cancer.

During a 12 year period 38 patients underwent various palliative biliodigestive procedures for unresectable pancreatic carcinoma. Jaundice, upper abdominal pain and weight loss was present in 82%, 53% and 40% of the patients respectively. Serum bilirubin was elevated in 95% of patients, on average almost 9 times the upper limit of normal. Alcaline phosphatase was elevated in 97% of patients, on average almost 5 times the upper normal limit. Fourteen patients died without leaving hospital, 10 within one month, for an inhospital mortality of 36.8%. For the remaining 24 patients mean survival was slightly more than 7 months. Only 4 patients survived for more than one year. Palliation thus was short but reasonably good as judged by decrease in serum bilirubin and alcaline phosphatase levels.