Distal Pancreatectomy With Partial Splenectomy for Pancreatic Tumors

August 4, 2016 updated by: University of Missouri-Columbia

Pilot Study of Distal Pancreatectomy With Partial Splenectomy for Pancreatic Tumors Arising in the Body and Tail of the Pancreas

Most resectable tumors arising in the body or tail of the pancreas are malignancies or premalignancies which are surgically treated with distal pancreatectomy in combination with splenectomy. Retrieval of the lymph node tissue which lies along the splenic vessels is necessary to complete an oncologically sound operation. Two techniques for spleen preserving distal pancreatectomy have been described, but only a small number of lesions are amenable to spleen preserving pancreas surgery because these operation compromise oncologic principles. Removal of a normal spleen usually does not cause immediate consequences but can make patients vulnerable to life threatening infections. Asplenic patients must be vigilant for these infections and antibiotic prophylaxis is recommended anytime a fever occurs. Splenectomy results in measurable changes in the cellular components of the blood. If thrombocytosis occurs as a result of splenectomy, it requires life-long antiplatelet treatment.

Some childhood hematologic disorders such as hereditary spherocytosis are successfully treated with partial splenectomy. The post-surgical remnant spleen has been shown to be viable and functional. Both hematologic and immunologic function of the spleen seems to be preserved in most patients. Partial splenectomy has also been successful ly employed to treat benign and malignant lesions of the spleen. Unfortunately these indications for surgery are rare and so the experience with partial splenectomy is small.

To date, distal pancreatectomy with partial splenectomy has not been described in the medical literature. The investigators have devised a surgical procedure combining distal pancreatectomy with partial splenectomy, in principal allowing preservation of splenic function without compromise of oncologic principles. This procedure is possible now because of new technology which allows for near bloodless transection of solid organs. These instruments are routinely used in liver, kidney and pancreas surgery. There are scattered reports of successful use of these instruments in splenic transection, but there is no large experience to date.

The study intends to answer the question, is the proposed procedure, distal pancreatectomy and partial splenectomy, a viable alternative to the current standard of care, distal pancreatectomy with total splenectomy, for patients who will undergo surgical treatment of pancreas lesions arising in the body or tail of the pancreas?

Study Overview

Detailed Description

Resectable tumors arising in the body or tail of the pancreas are malignancies or premalignancies which are surgically treated with distal pancreatectomy in combination with splenectomy. Retrieval of the lymph node tissue which lies along the splenic vessels is necessary to complete an oncologically sound operation. Two techniques for spleen preserving distal pancreatectomy have been described, but only a small number of lesions are amenable to spleen preserving pancreas surgery because these operation compromise oncologic principles. Removal of a normal spleen usually does not cause immediate consequences but can make patients vulnerable to life threatening infections. Asplenic patients must be vigilant for these infections and antibiotic prophylaxis is recommended anytime a fever occurs. Splenectomy results in measurable changes in the cellular components of the blood. If thrombocytosis occurs as a result of splenectomy, it requires life-long antiplatelet treatment.

Some childhood hematologic disorders such as hereditary spherocytosis are successfully treated with partial splenectomy. The post-surgical remnant spleen has been shown to be viable and functional. Both hematologic and immunologic function of the spleen seems to be preserved in most patients. Partial splenectomy has also been successful ly employed to treat benign and malignant lesions of the spleen. Unfortunately these indications for surgery are rare and so the experience with partial splenectomy is small.

To date, distal pancreatectomy with partial splenectomy has not been described in the medical literature. We have devised a surgical procedure combining distal pancreatectomy with partial splenectomy, in principal allowing preservation of splenic function without compromise of oncologic principles. This procedure is possible now because of new technology which allows for near bloodless transection of solid organs. These instruments are routinely used in liver, kidney and pancreas surgery. There are scattered reports of successful use of these instruments in splenic transection, but there is no large experience to date.

The study intends to answer the question, is the proposed procedure, distal pancreatectomy and partial splenectomy, a viable alternative to the current standard of care, distal pancreatectomy with total splenectomy, for patients who will undergo surgical treatment of pancreas lesions arising in the body or tail of the pancreas?

Study Type

Observational

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Missouri
      • Columbia, Missouri, United States, 65201
        • University of Missouri

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

surgical oncology clinic

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with solid or cystic neoplasms of the pancreas who are being considered for distal pancreatectomy/splenectomy to be performed in either an open, laparoscopic, of da Vinci assisted fashion.
  • No evidence of metastatic disease
  • No evidence of local invasion into surrounding organs
  • ECOG performance status <3
  • Age 18 years or greater
  • Participants will provide written informed consent to be part of the study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Age less than 18 years old
  • Women who are pregnant
  • Known hereditary bleeding disorder with history of post-operative hemorrhage
  • Patients maintained on chronic anticoagulation (eg Coumadin therapy)
  • Known hematogenous disorder
  • Previous gastric fundoplication procedure or any procedure which interrupts the short gastric blood supply to the spleen
  • Known primary or secondary malignancy of the spleen
  • Pancreatic tumors which invade surrounding structures
  • Prisoners
  • Patients with impaired decision-making skills

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Splenic function
Time Frame: 30 days post-operatively
30 days post-operatively

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Lymph node retrieval
Time Frame: within 30 days post-operatively
within 30 days post-operatively

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Michael Nicholl, MD, University of Missouri-Columbia

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

September 1, 2011

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

September 1, 2011

Study Completion (Actual)

September 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 8, 2011

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 8, 2011

First Posted (Estimate)

August 9, 2011

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

August 8, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 4, 2016

Last Verified

May 1, 2016

More Information

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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