Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors (pNETs) encompass a diverse array of neoplasms, with a comparatively favorable prognosis in comparison to pancreatic adenocarcinomas. Nevertheless, surgical management and post-operative outcomes for pNETs can pose challenges, given that the pancreatic main duct is often unaffected, resulting in diminished inflammation and a softer, more fragile pancreas. Studies devoted to investigating post-operative outcomes following pancreatic surgery for pNETs remain scant. Therefore, the present retrospective study aims to explore post-operative complications among patients with pNETs treated at Sahlgrenska University Hospital (SUH), Gothenburg, Sweden.

Patients were identified from the cancer registry at Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare diagnosed with a pNET at SUH, Gothenburg, from 2010-2020. Complications were classified according to conventional complication index as well as Clavien-Dindo.

During the time of study, 96 patients received surgical treatment. Among them, the most frequent surgical procedure was distal pancreatectomy (n=61), followed by enucleation (n=16), Whipple (n=13), total pancreatectomy (n=4), and combined resection (n=2). A complication occurred in 42.7% of the patients and a postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) was observed in 32 cases. The enucleation group had a significantly higher incidence of this complication, with 62.5% of patients in this cohort developing a POPF. No investigated risk factor was significant for developing a complication.

Surgical resections for pNETs are associated with a high risk of complications in general and POPF in particular. Enucleation might be a procedure afflicted with a higher risk for a POPF.