Perioperative Epidural Block and Dexamethasone in Pancreatic Cancer Surgery

Pancreatic cancer remains a devastating disease with an average 5-year survival rate of about 3-5%. Previous retrospective studies showed that perioperative epidural block and/or dexamethasone are associated with improved outcome after cancer surgery. This randomized trial aims to investigate the effect of perioperative epidural block and/or dexamethasone on long-term survival in patients following pancreatic cancer surgery.

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in the world, and is estimated to become the second one in 2030. For patients with resectable pancreatic cancer, radical surgery is the first-line therapy. However, the clinical outcomes remain poor even after radical resection, as the incidence of postoperative morbidity is up to 50% and the 5-year survival rate remains below 30%. For patients undergoing major intraabdominal surgery, epidural block may provide advantages by blocking the afferent nociceptive stimuli, providing better pain relief, decreasing opioid consumption, and alleviating stress response. These effects may be helpful in preserving immune function. Some retrospective studies showed that epidural block is associated with delayed cancer recurrence/metastasis and improved survival after cancer surgery. Low-dose dexamethasone is frequently used to prevent postoperative nausea and vomiting. Recent evidences from retrospective studies suggest that perioperative dexamethasone may also affect long-term outcome after cancer surgery. For example, in patients undergoing lung cancer surgery, intraoperative dexamethasone is associated with improved recurrence-free and overall survival. Similar results are also reported in patients after pancreatic cancer surgery. The investigators hypothesize that perioperative epidural block and dexamethasone may improve survival in patients after radical pancreatic surgery. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether perioperative epidural block and/or dexamethasone can improve 2-year survival in patients after pancreatic cancer surgery.