Kevin C. Conlon, MD, MBA, FACS

Adenocarcinoma of the pancreas remains a lethal malignancy: The majority of patients with pancreatic cancer continue to present with advanced disease and die within a year of diagnosis. Despite this grim fact, some progress has been made over the past decade, particularly in the surgical management of patients with resectable and advanced disease. This well-constructed review by Drs. Ahrendt and Pitt succinctly details the advances that have been made and highlights many of the unresolved issues.

This report by Drs. Evans, Wolff, and Crane is a well-written and concise description of their extensive experience with the treatment of pancreatic cancer. They and others at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center should be congratulated for their innovative, methodical, and thoughtful approach to the treatment of this lethal disease.

This concise review by Drs. Wexner and Hwang examines the issues surrounding the use of laparoscopy in the management of gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies. The authors believe, and most of us would agree, that in palliative cases, a minimally invasive surgical approach has much to offer the patient in terms of reduced morbidity and mortality and improved quality of life. However, the role of this technology in potentially curative resectional therapy remains controversial.