History of pancreatic cancer surgery

Abstract. The first mention of pancreatic cancer dates back to 1761, when the six-volume work of the famous Italian anatomist G. Morgagni «On the location and causes of diseases discovered through dissection» was published. However, the history of surgical treatment of malignant tumors of the pancreas dates back to the end of the 19th century. The accumulated experience of operational techniques and the introduction of aseptic rules created objective prerequisites for performing operations in complex anatomical zones during that period of time. On July 16, 1882, the famous German surgeon F. Trendelenburg, firstly, performed a successful resection of the tail of the pancreas for sarcoma, founding the development of surgery in this field. However, the success in this sphere could not be shifted to a tumor of the head of the gland due to the subsequent separation of the duct system from the duodenum. Over the following years, many outstanding surgeons tried to solve this problem, such as: A. Codivilla, W. Halsted, W. Kaush, until in the early 40s A. Whipple proposed a new method of pancreatoduodenal resection, that became the gold standard for head cancer treatment pancreas. Although it was not possible to achieve significant success in the treatment of cancer in the original method of operation, as a result at various stages of time this procedure wasn’t used a lot and was almost forgotten. Today, surgery remains the leading method in the complex treatment of patients with pancreatic cancer. Minimally invasive technologies have been actively introduced into pancreatic surgery in the past two decades. The indications for surgery have been expanded, lymphadenectomy standards have been introduced, thereby increasing the chances of a successful cure.