Dr. Talamonti on Surgical Advancements in Pancreatic Cancer

Mark S. Talamonti, MD, clinical professor, NorthShore University HealthSystem, discusses some of the recent surgical advancements in pancreatic cancer.

Currently, the state of the art is that there are a few institutions and a few high-volume surgeons who are able to perform laparoscopic or robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy procedures with the technical efficiency to favorably compare with open pancreatic surgery. Today, the gold standard remains as an open pancreaticoduodenectomy for patients with localized cancer in the head of the pancreas.

However, Talamonti believes that the technology will continue to evolve, training programs will become more formalized, and more surgeons will be able to have the ability to do these operations with a minimally invasive approach—whether they be laparoscopic or robotic. Right now, it is limited to a handful of centers and surgeons who are able to perform this novel technique.