More Follow-Up Suggested After Removing Pancreatic Cysts

New research suggests closer and more expansive follow-up for patients who had pancreatic cysts surgically removed.

In data presented at the annual American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) 2020 virtual meeting, a team of doctors from the Cleveland Clinic described the post-surgical course of pancreatic cyst patients, while evaluating the rates and predictors of recurrent cysts, high-risk, and malignant transformation over a 5 year review of existing data.

In an interview with HCPLive®, Mohannad Abou Saleh, MD and Prabhleen Chahal, MD, explained how the review might ultimately result in a change in the guidelines to closely monitor these patients for longer periods of time.

In the cohort, the investigators examined data from 104 patients who underwent surgical intervention for pancreatic cysts with 37 (37.4%) cases undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy and 62 (62.6%) undergoing distal pancreatectomy.

At the one-year mark following surgery, 34.5% had recent cysts with 5.1% with high-risk transformation and 11.7% malignant transformation. By year 5, these rates increased to 64.8%, 13.7%, and 19%, respectively.

The overall mortality rate was 13.5%, with 5.8% related to pancreatic causes over the 5 year review period.

Chahal explained how this study shows how most guidelines and practices should be constantly updated and examined as more information and data comes out.