Single institution results of radical antegrade modular pancreatosplenectomy for adenocarcinoma of the body and tail of pancreas in 78 patients

BackgroundThe purpose of this report is to present results of the radical antegrade modular pancreatosplenectomy (RAMPS) procedure in 78 patients from a single center. MethodsSeventy-eight patients had RAMPS procedure over 13 years. A database dealing with RAMPS for adenocarcinoma of the pancreas was constructed so that it could be converted into a set of tables. Each table covered one element of the subject. The database was populated from clinical records of patients who had a RAMPS procedure from 1999 to 2013. ResultsFifty-six patients had anterior RAMPS and 22 had posterior RAMPS. Negative tangential margins were obtained in 94% of specimens. Overall the R0 rate was 85%. Mean lymph node count was 20. There were no 30-day or in-hospital mortalities but two patients died within 90 days. Pancreatic fistula and need for postoperative transfusion were the most common complications. Median survival was 24.6 months and 5-year overall actuarial survival was 25.1%. ConclusionsThe RAMPS technique resulted in high negative tangential margin rates and good lymph node retrieval. The long-term survival result in 78 patients is probably an accurate reflection of what is possible with this tumor using this technique at this time.