Patients with pancreatic cancer have an extremely poor prognosis and most patients are unresectable at the time of initial diagnosis. Estimation of individual prognosis is essential in order to provide the most suitable palliative therapy.
In the current study a homogeneous group of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer was analysed to compare the clinical outcome of the metal stent in contrast to the plastic stent. Furthermore prognostic factors for survival after initial biliary drainage were evaluated.
Stent patency was significant higher in the metal stent group, compared to the plastic stent group. Distant metastases were identified as the only independent prognostic factor for survival after initial biliary drainage.
By virtue of the present results we favour the systematic insertion of metal stents in patients without distant metastases and therefore better prognosis. For patients with distant metastases we recommend the use of polyethylene plastic stents due to a poorer prognosis.
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