Efficacy and Safety of TPIAT for Resectable Adenocarcinoma of the Pancreas Region at High Risk of Postoperative Fistula

Plain-language summary

Curative management of locally resectable invasive adenocarcinomas located in the cephalic region of the pancreas (pancreas, duodenum and ampulla of Vater) requires a pancreaticoduodenectomy followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. Pancreaticoduodenectomy is a major surgery that often leads to major complications including approximately 20% of relevant clinical postoperative pancreatic fistula. Postoperative complications following pancreaticoduodenectomy can lead to early discontinuation of the complete oncologic strategy, i.e., chemotherapy for malignancy is performed in only about a third of patients who experienced a grade C fistula. A total pancreatectomy rather than a pancreaticoduodenectomy is an alternative procedure that involves the complete and definitive resection of all pancreatic tissue, eliminating any risk of postoperative pancreatic fistula but is associated with unavoidable endocrine insufficiency and potentially severe metabolic complications, such as "brittle diabetes". Total Pancreatectomy following by intraportal Islet AutoTransplantation (TPIAT) can prevent "brittle diabetes" and improve the quality of life. The endocrine islets can be isolated from the pancreatic surgical specimen with standardized procedures and transplanted in the liver through intraportal infusion, in absence of immunosuppression and allow adequate control of glucose metabolism with a reduced need for exogenous insulin and an effective graft function in 70% of cases at 3 years Thereby, the investigators hypothesize that total pancreatectomy with intraportal Islet autotransplantation rather than classical pancreaticuduodenectomy, in patients with high-risk of postoperative fistula will increase the rate of complete access to adjuvant chemotherapy, while maintaining an adequate metabolic control.

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