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Pancreatic cancer, known as the king of cancer, is marked by late detection, low resectability, and poor prognosis. Surgical resection remains the only potentially curative treatment and a critical first step. Despite advancements in multidisciplinary strategies, the 5-year survival rate after R0 resection remains unsatisfactory, highlighting the need for improved therapies1.
Perineural invasion (PNI), marked by tumor infiltration and spread along nerves, is a key driver of early progression, recurrence, and poor prognosis in cancer patients2,3. With an incidence exceeding 90% in pancreatic cancer, PNI often begins as pathological neural proliferation during early PanIN-like lesions in approximately 80% of cases4. It not only causes severe pain and reduced quality of life but also undermines treatment efficacy5. Pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) is the standard treatment for pancreatic head cancer6. However, traditional PD fails to address the dense neural plexus between the celiac artery (CA) and superior mesenteric artery (SMA), leaving patients vulnerable to early recurrence and metastasis. Previous randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing standard pancreaticoduodenectomy (SPD) with extended pancreaticoduodenectomy (EPD) have demonstrated that EPD offers no survival advantage over the standard Whipple procedure despite its theoretical benefits7,8,9. Our team has long focused on radical nerve dissection for pancreatic cancer, pioneering the first precise neural dissection map for pancreatic cancer surgery10. Through multicenter RCTs, we demonstrated that radical pancreaticoduodenectomy combined with retroperitoneal nerve dissection significantly prolongs disease-free survival and alleviates pathological pain, providing high-level evidence for nerve-targeted radical surgery6. With advancements in technology, we have successfully transitioned from open to fully laparoscopic nerve dissection11,12,13,14. Enhancing surgical outcomes while ensuring safety remains a central goal in pancreatic cancer treatment.
In 2017, Chinese experts issued consensus guidelines on LPD, recommending that teams meet the following criteria: (1) extensive experience with OPD, including the ability to manage intraoperative and postoperative complications and timely conversion to open surgery; (2) proficiency in laparoscopic skills such as suturing, knotting, dissection, and hemostasis; and (3) a stable surgical team comprising the lead surgeon, first assistant, camera operator, scrub nurse, and anesthesiologist, fostering consistent workflows and collective growth during the initial learning curve. For pancreatic head cancer patients, routine implementation of LPD requires overcoming the learning curve and establishing a multidisciplinary treatment (MDT) model. This approach ensures thorough preoperative assessment of tumor biology, patient comorbidities, and the likelihood of achieving R0 resection. Recent research by Renyi et al. analyzed 1,029 LPD cases across multiple centers in China, showing that mastering the LPD learning curve typically requires performing 104 cases15. Both domestic and international expert guidelines emphasize that LPD should be conducted at high-volume centers. Definitions of high-volume thresholds range from 10 to 50 cases annually16,17. In the U.S., analysis of 3,079 LPD cases from 2010 to 2017 demonstrated that the threshold for high-volume centers has decreased from 22 to 20 cases annually, reflecting growing surgeon experience and improved safety outcomes16,18.
Minimally invasive surgery represents the future of pancreatic cancer treatment. Since the release of the Chinese Expert Consensus on LPD19, the development of LPD has accelerated significantly, accompanied by a surge of related publications. However, most cases are still concentrated in large pancreatic centers, predominantly involving ampullary cancer, distal bile duct cancer, duodenal cancer, and benign or low-grade periampullary tumors. Many surgeons remain cautious about performing fully laparoscopic radical surgery for pancreatic cancer20. Studies have demonstrated that laparoscopic radical pancreaticoduodenectomy for pancreatic head cancer is safe, but is primarily recommended for high-volume pancreatic centers with substantial LPD experience21,22,23. Moreover, laparoscopic surgery achieves oncologic outcomes comparable to or better than open surgery24,25,26. Based on our experience, laparoscopic procedures can shorten postoperative hospital stays, facilitating earlier initiation of adjuvant therapy. As one of the earliest teams in China to adopt LPD, we have developed a unique programmatic surgical workflow13,15,27. In recent years, we have actively promoted the standardized and programmatic application of LPD and radical nerve dissection techniques for pancreatic cancer nationwide. Additionally, we have contributed to drafting Chinese expert consensus guidelines on LPD. Drawing on our experience with laparoscopic radical surgery for pancreatic head cancer, we now present the standardized workflow for Laparoscopic Programmatic Neurolymphatic Radical Pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPNRPD). The overall goal of the LPNRPD method is to establish a safe, standardized, and reproducible surgical strategy for radical resection of pancreatic head cancer using a fully laparoscopic approach. Given the complexity of PD, especially the challenges of neurolymphatic dissection and vascular proximity, we developed a modular technique rooted in anatomical landmarks and a dual-surgeon model. Each procedural step was designed with a specific rationale: (1) to improve operative visualization and efficiency through vascular-axis-centered dissection, (2) to ensure radicality by targeting lymph node stations and neural plexuses associated with early recurrence, and (3) to minimize complications by adopting standardized anastomotic techniques. By breaking down the operation into discrete, teachable modules, LPNRPD facilitates training, improves reproducibility, and reduces learning-curve-related morbidity, making advanced laparoscopic pancreatic surgery more accessible and safer across surgical teams.