Identifying pancreatic cancer patients at high risk of early mortality following surgical resection for pancreatic cancer is important to make optimal treatment decisions in multidisciplinary setting. The purpose of this study was to identify the factors related to early mortality in patients who underwent pancreatic resection for pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

We reviewed our institution's experience with all consecutive patients who underwent pancreatectomy for pancreatic adenocarcinoma from January 2000 to December 2010. One thousand patients were eligible for our study. Fifty-three patients who did not meet the study criteria were excluded. Based on 12 months after surgery, patients were divided into early mortality group or the remaining group. We performed logistic regression analysis to identify predictors of early mortality.

Among 947 patients who met our study criteria, 302 (31.9%) early mortality (defined as experiencing death within 12 months after surgery) occurred. Multivariate analysis revealed that patient age and surgery time period were statistically significant predictors of early mortality within six months after surgery. Poorly differentiated tumor and adjuvant chemotherapy were statistically significant predictors of early mortality within 12 months after surgery. Total pancreatectomy and lymphovascular invasion were significant ( p <0.05) prognostic factors of early mortality within 6 or 12 months after surgery.

We suggest followings to avoid early mortality after pancreatic resection: patients with multiple risk factors related to early mortality after pancreatectomy should be considered for alternative treatment; patient's general condition and surgical technique improvement are important; and adjuvant therapy should be taken into consideration.