Treatmentofpancreaticcancerismultimodalandsurgeryisanessentialpart,mandatoryforcurativepotential.Alsochemotherapyisessential,andseriouspostoperativecomplicationsorrapiddiseaseprogressionmayprecludecompletionofmultimodaltreatment.Thesequenceoftreatmentinterventionshasthereforebecomeanimportantconcern,andnumerousongoingrandomizedcontrolledtrialscompareclinicaloutcomeafterupfrontsurgeryandneoadjuvanttreatmentwithsubsequentresection.Inpreviousyears,borderlineresectableandlocallyadvancedpancreaticcancerwasmostoftenconsideredunresectable.Moreeffectivechemotherapytogetherwiththelatestimprovementsinsurgicalexpertisehasresultedinextendedoperations,pushingthebordersofresectability.Multivisceralresectionswithorwithoutresectionofmajormesen-tericvesselsarenowperformedinnumerouspatients,resultinginbetteroutcome,recordedasoverallsurvivaland/orpatientreportedoutcome.Butpostoperativemorbidityincreasesconcurrently,andclinicalbenefitmustbecarefullyevaluatedagainstriskofpotentialharm,associatedwithnewcomprehensivemultimodaltreatmentsequences.Eventhoughcost/utilityanalysesaredeficient,extendedsurgeryhasresultedinsignifi-cantlylongerandbetterlifeformanypatientswithnoothertreatmentalternative.Improvedselectionofpatientstosurgeryand/orchemotherapywillinthenearfuturebepossible,basedonbettertumorbiologyinsight.Clinicallyavailablebiomarkersenablingpersonalizedtreatmentareforthcoming,buttheseoptionsarestilllimited.Theimportanceofsurgicalresectionforeachpatient’sprognosisispresentlyincreasing,justifyingsustainedexpansionofthesurgicaltreatmentmodality.
