Surgery for Locally Advanced Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: Selection of Patients and Surgical Technique

Abstract Background The management of locally advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (LA-PDAC) now relies on an integrated, multidimensional assessment that goes beyond just the relationship of the tumour to vascular anatomy. Summary By combining dynamic imaging, biomarker monitoring, genetic profiling, and thorough physiological evaluation, clinicians can more accurately select patients who are most likely to benefit from aggressive surgical intervention. These patients can then be offered NAT, singly or in combination, and preferably within the context of a clinical trial. The re-staging of patients post-NAT remains a challenge, but in patients who have shown no evidence of tumour growth or metastases and preferably with evidence of biochemical, metabolic, or radiological response and are fit enough, a trial dissection may be indicated. This evolving strategy transforms a disease once considered palliative into one with curative potential in selected patients. In this setting, surgical techniques have also evolved to include artery-first approaches to the SMA and CA, arterial divestment as an alternative to arterial resection, and the triangle operation. Patients with LA-PDAC should be managed in a high-volume centre with experience in treating this type of patient. There is no established role for minimally invasive techniques, including laparoscopic or robotic surgery, with LA-PDAC. Key Messages Determining the role of surgery for locally advanced pancreatic cancer requires more than just an assessment of the tumour-vasculature relationship. The multidisciplinary selection integrates dynamic imaging, biomarker monitoring, genetic profiling, and physiological evaluation. For some patients, a previous palliative strategy is transformed to a potentially curative one. In this setting, new surgical techniques include an artery-first approach to avoid futile resection, periadventitial dissection instead of arterial resection, and the triangle operation for complete nodal clearance.