RE: Pancreatic cancer in Saudi Arabia

摘要

We thank Dr. Meshikhes for his interest in our study. We concur with Dr. Meshikhes' statement on the scantiness of the studies regarding pancreatic cancer not only in Saudi Arabia, but also worldwide, as this issue was raised by the American Cancer Society in their report in 2013. We also do agree that surgery remains the only cure for pancreatic cancer. However, this only applies to 15-20% of pancreatic cancer cases eligible for surgical resection at presentation with only a 20% 5-year survival after surgical resection. For the majority of cases, which presents in advanced stages, palliation with endoscopic metal stent is the surgical intervention of choice.