[Controversies in timing of preoperative staging of pancreatic carcinomas].

In recent years pancreatic cancer has shown an increasing incidence. Preoperative staging represents a main problem for its surgical management. Recent behaviour in the treatment of the disease led to considerably more encouraging results. The Authors describe the cases treated at the Dept. of Surgery of the University of Perugia and review the most important international reports on preoperative staging of pancreatic cancer.