Loading...
Although a small subset of patients with potentially resectable pancreatic cancer proceed directly to surgery, most undergo neoadjuvant therapy first. In practical terms, this often leads to preoperative biliary drainage, most commonly via endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), as patients who are jaundiced are not typically candidates for chemoradiation therapy. The risks and potential downsides of preoperative biliary drainage have been debated for years, as some well-constructed studies show worse outcomes overall, and at least one shows increased postoperative mortality.
To further address this question, investigators retrospectively assessed overall survival among nearly 3000 U.S. Medicare patients with a diagnosis of pa…