ISMETT among top centers for treatment of malignant liver and pancreatic tumors

ISMETT once again ranks high with the top centers in Italy for the treatment of malignant liver and pancreatic tumors. The level of care achieved by ISMETT in Palermo, an international partnership between the Region of Sicily and UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center), was certified by AGENAS, the Italian Agency for Regional Health Services monitoring and assessing quality indicators in these areas of surgery. The indicators assessed by AGENAS (volume of activity and mortality at 30 days after surgery) highlight the excellent results achieved by ISMETT.

In 2021, ISMETT performed 32% of all liver cancer surgical procedures carried out in Sicily, ranking first in Sicily for volume of activity, with an increased number of interventions compared to 2020 (in the previous three years the percentage of patients operated at ISMETT was 30%).

Important data also in terms of quality of care. Surgical mortality 30 days after surgery is in fact very low: between 2019 and 2021, mortality rate for malignant liver tumor resections was 1.05% and 1.7% for pancreatic malignancies. “These are excellent data,” explains Dr. Salvatore Gruttadauria, Director of ISMETT’s Department for the Treatment and Study of Abdominal Diseases and Abdominal Transplantation. “In Italy there are 339 hospitals performing these surgical procedures, and it’s worth underlining that only 4.1% of these centers have higher volumes of activity than ISMETT. Also, the mortality 30 days after a liver resection at ISMETT between 2019 and 2021 was 1.05%, whereas the average mortality in Italian centers was 2.2%”.

Excellent results also with regard to the treatment of pancreatic malignancies. Between 2019 and 2021, 59 patients were treated surgically at ISMETT, only one of whom died at 30 days, so the mortality estimate is 1.7%. The average mortality per center in Italy was 5.62%. The 2022 data also improved in terms of number of operations and implementation of minimally-invasive surgery of the liver and pancreas. Overall, 147 liver resections were performed, 54 of which with minimally-invasive technique, and 62 pancreatic resections.

In 2023, ISMETT’s offer increased with the establishment of the Medical Oncology Service and the opening of the new Pancreas Unit. These are services designed to provide integrated care for the treatment of abdominal neoplasias, particularly of the liver and pancreas.