Predictors of recurrence after pancreaticoduodenectomy in ampullary cancer: comparison between non-, early and late recurrence.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Ampullary cancer is one of the periampullary cancers with a better prognosis, but relapse still occurs early in some patients. We sought to find predictors of recurrence to facilitate decisions about postoperative therapy.

METHODS: Between January 1989 and March 2006, information was gathered on a total of 127 patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy with regional lymphadenectomy for ampullary cancer at National Cheng Kung University Hospital and Tainan Municipal Hospital. Clinical information, histopathologic results and long-term outcomes were collected and predictors for recurrence were identified.

RESULTS: Fifty-eight patients (46%) survived without evidence of recurrence (non-recurrence), while 32 patients (25%) suffered recurrent disease after 12 months (late recurrence) and 37 patients (29%) developed recurrent disease within 12 months (early recurrence). The median follow-up for non-recurrence was 65 months, 13 months for early recurrence, and 36 months for late recurrence. Patterns of recurrence were similar, without any significant difference between the early recurrence and late recurrence groups. The early and late recurrence patients had higher levels of microscopically (R1) or macroscopically (R2) positive margin of resection and more advanced disease (advanced tumor stage, numbers of lymph nodes involved, lymph node status, pancreatic invasion and TNM stage) than the non-recurrence group. After multivariate analysis, positive resection margin, pancreatic invasion and lymph node involvement were significant predictors for disease recurrence. Lymph node involvement was the main differentiating predictor between the late and early recurrence groups (odds ratio, 1.982; 95% confidence interval, 1.101-3.567; p = 0.022).

CONCLUSION: Positive resection margin, pancreatic invasion, and lymph node involvement were found to be predictors for disease recurrence and indicators for postoperative treatment.