Surveillance After Surgery for Pancreatic Cancer

Abstract

Disease recurrence remains the main cause of mortality in patients who underwent pancreatic cancer resection, with a median post-recurrence survival of only 3–9 months. Recent advancements in pancreatic cancer treatment have resulted in an increased interest in early detection and treatment of pancreatic cancer recurrence. However, the efficacy, timing and impact on quality of life of treatment of pancreatic cancer recurrence is yet unclear. As a result, the value of recurrence-focused surveillance for the early detection and treatment of pancreatic cancer recurrence remains controversial. Nevertheless, a surveillance strategy existing of 3–6 monthly serum CA 19-9 testing and CT imaging is increasingly implemented by pancreatic cancer clinicians worldwide. However, high-quality evidence to support this strategy is lacking, and the search for the optimal surveillance strategy is ongoing. Current research therefore not only focuses on expanding treatment options for pancreatic cancer recurrence, but also on improvement of detection methods and the introduction of promising diagnostic tests, such as liquid biopsies.