[Our Experience of Staging Laparoscopy for Patients with Pancreatic Cancer before Initial Treatment].

Background: Staging laparoscopy(SL)for patients with pancreatic cancer is used to identify occult abdominal metastasis (OAM). The aim of this study is to analyze the efficacy and safety of SL.
Methods: Patients with pancreatic cancer who underwent SL before initial treatment at our hospital were included in this study. The short-term outcomes of the patients and the frequency of OAM detection were retrospectively analyzed.
Results: Ten patients with pancreatic cancer were enrolled. The tumors were located in the head of the pancreas in 5 cases, and in the body and/or tail in 5 cases. The tumor diameter was 3 cm or more in 2 cases, and the serum CA19-9 level was 150 U/mL or more in 7 cases. No postoperative complications were observed in any of the patients. SL showed OAM in 2 patients.
Conclusions: SL can be performed safely and may be useful in detecting OAM and optimizing treatment strategy for pancreatic cancer patients.