Morphology of the Dorsal Pancreatic Artery and Its Oncological Significance in Pancreatic Cancer

Takahiro Kyuno; Isamu Makino; Hirohisa Kitagawa; Hirofumi Terakawa; Ryosuke Gabata; Tomokazu Tokoro; Satoshi Takada; Mitsuyoshi Okazaki; Shinichi Nakanuma; Tetsuo Ohta; Shintaro Yagi

doi:10.1097/MPA.0000000000002327

Morphology of the Dorsal Pancreatic Artery and Its Oncological Significance in Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreas. 2024 Mar 13. doi: 10.1097/MPA.0000000000002327. Online ahead of print.

Affiliations

¹ From the Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery and Transplantation, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa.
² Department of Surgery, Kurashiki Central Hospital, Kurashiki.
³ Department of Brest Surgery, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.

PMID: 38530957
DOI: 10.1097/MPA.0000000000002327

Abstract

Objectives: Although the dorsal pancreatic artery (DPA) is an important artery that supplies the pancreas, its morphology has not been sufficiently studied. We investigated the morphology of the DPA and the progression of pancreatic cancer along this vessel.

Materials and methods: Overall, 142 patients with pancreatic cancer who underwent surgical resection at Kanazawa University Hospital between 2004 and 2015 were enrolled. We examined the morphology of the DPA using preoperative computed tomography and cancer progression along the DPA using resected specimens. We investigated the anatomical structures surrounding the DPA through cadaveric examination.

Results: The analysis of computed tomography images revealed the presence of the DPA in 141 patients. In typical cases, the DPA divides into a head and a body branch. Histopathological examination revealed cancer progression along the DPA in 32 patients. Cancer progression along the DPA was identified as a factor associated with a poor prognosis in pancreatic head or body cancer. Cadaveric examination showed the presence of abundant nerve and lymphatic tissues along the DPA.

Conclusions: It is important to remove the soft tissue surrounding the DPA during surgery for pancreatic head or body cancer because it may serve as an important route for cancer progression.