Purpose

The permanent loss of endocrine and exocrine functions caused by total pancreatectomy (TP) is painful for patients through the whole life. We evaluated the postoperative quality of life and long term outcome in patients who underwent TP.

Methods

117 patients who underwent TP between 2006 and 2017 at our institution were retrospectively collected. Perioperative outcome was analyzed by medical records. Living conditions and quality of life was assessed using questionnaire (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire [EORTC QLQ-C30], Audit of Diabetes Dependent QoL 19 [ADDQoL 19]) by 24 surviving patients.

Results

Among 117 patients who underwent TP, 62 patients survived (36; died, 19; follow up loss) with median follow up period of 35.7 months. HbA1c was significantly changed after 12 months of TP (p<0.001). Total 117 patients showed 66.7% with 5-year survival rate. In EORTC QLQ-C30 analysis, mean score of functional scale was 59.4, and mean score of symptom scale was 32.8. The results of comparison analysis with other studies indicated worse QOL. In ADD QoL19 analysis, the mean weighted impact score is -5.5 representing unfavorable QOL.

Conclusion

Today, although postoperative management after TP has evolved, the quality of life experienced by patients has been badly evaluated. TP should be highly selected when partial pancreatectomy is not feasible option and we should pay close attention to patient’s social security.