Because pancreatic cancer is a disease with a dismal prognosis due to the high rate of early recurrence even after curative surgery, selecting the most effective treatment in an individual requires preoperative assessment of the tumor characteristics, including the potential for early recurrence. The study cohort included 84 patients undergoing surgical resection of pancreatic cancer. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to identify the risk factors for early recurrence within six months after curative resection. Early recurrence was associated with a platelet-lymphocyte ratio ≥0.23 (P = 0.04), carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) ≥200 (P = 0.01), and S-pancreas-1 antigen (Span-1) ≥37 (P = 0.0004) by univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis identified CA19-9 ≥200 and Span-1 ≥37 as independent risk factors for early recurrence. Patients with both risk factors had a significantly higher rate of lymph node metastasis than those with no or one risk factor. Span-1 ≥ 37 and CA19-9 ≥ 200 are independent risk factors for early recurrence in patients who underwent surgical resection, and the combination of Span-1 ≥37 and CA19-9 ≥200 is a useful indicator of lymph node metastasis.