Trial Information

A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Intraoperative Celiac Plexus Neurolysis for Patients With Operable (Resectable and Unresectable) Pancreatic and Periampullary Cancer

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is the fourth leading cause of cancer related death in the United
States and is usually fatal. Surgery provides the only chance for long-term survival. Pain
is a significant, often difficult to control component of survivorship for many who succumb
to this disease. The purpose of this trial is to evaluate the effect of ethanol celiac
plexus neurolysis (alcohol nerve block) in patients undergoing surgical intervention for
pancreatic cancer. Patients undergoing surgery for pancreatic cancer will be enrolled in a
prospective randomized double blind placebo controlled clinical trial.

This protocol is designed to definitively determine the role of ethanol celiac plexus
neurolysis as a simple addition to the surgical management of pancreatic adenocarcinoma and
help define the standard of care for cancer associated pain management in this disease.