Abstract
Summary: Ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreas is currently a major health problem in developed countries. The Czech population has the highest incidence of ductal adenocarcinoma in Europe according to recent reports, and the incidence is expected to double by 2030.
Radical resection, in combination with adjuvant chemother apy, is the only treatment choice that can result in a cure. Significant disease progression after the first symptoms become noticeable results in poor treatment success.
It is therefore very important to fol low rational diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and to form as soon as possible a multidisciplinary team around the patient to group the patients into primary resectable, borderline resectable, and non-resectable (local ly advanced or metastatic) groups, and to initiate adequate therapy. The purpose of the present com munication is to introduce the reader to likely patient attitudes at different disease stages and in different treatment groups.