Oncological Safety of Spleen Preservation in Left Pancreatectomy for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (SPLENDID)

NCT ID: NCT07157605

Last Updated: 2025-09-05

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Total Enrollment

94 participants

Study Classification

OBSERVATIONAL

Study Start Date

2024-11-28

Study Completion Date

2031-01-01

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

The goal of this observational study is to determine how often lymph node metastases occur in the splenic hilum and surrounding fat in patients with left-sided pancreatic cancer.

The main question the study aims to answer is:

Is spleen removal necessary in all cases, or is the risk of lymph node metastases in the fat around the spleen low enough to reconsider this standard practice?

Currently, spleen removal is part of the standard treatment for patients with left-sided pancreatic cancer to ensure that any potential lymph node metastases in the surrounding fat are also removed. However, the likelihood of metastases in this area is low, and spleen removal carries risks.

This study is a first step toward changing the treatment approach. If the findings show that metastases in the fat around the spleen are rare, the next step will be a randomized trial to further investigate whether spleen removal is necessary.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

Splenectomy is routinely performed during surgical resection of left-sided pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) with the primary aim to facilitate adequate lymphadenectomy. However, asplenia is associated with several risks, including overwhelming post-splenectomy sepsis, and an increased risk of the development of cancer. Until several years ago, splenectomy was also routine practice in the surgical treatment of gastric cancer. Recently, several studies have shown that spleen-preservation in patients with gastric cancer is safe and therefore current guidelines advise against splenectomy. The rate of involved lymph nodes (LNs) in the splenic hilum (LN station 10) described in literature differs from 0 to 10% of patients. In these studies, the definition of the splenic hilum is often unclear and therefore these outcomes are difficult to interpret. Spleen-preservation in left-sided pancreatectomy for PDAC is currently not common practice in The Netherlands and goes against treatment guidelines. Two retrospective studies have suggested that spleenpreservation did not impair oncological outcomes and that postoperative complications occurred less after spleen preservation. However, these studies were retrospective, single-center and only included a very small number of patients and are therefore not providing enough evidence to change current practice. The SPLENDID-project focuses on evaluating the oncological safety of spleen-preservation in patients with left-sided PDAC. A prospective cohort study will be performed including all patients who undergo a left-sided pancreatectomy with splenectomy. The specimens will be transected at the precise level were spleen preservation (with resection of splenic vessels) would be performed (after removal of the specimen). Ratio of LN involvement will be collected for both specimen parts. Additionally, oncological patient outcomes, including survival, will be collected. When the pathological assessment confirms a \<9% LN involvement rate in the perihilar space, the next step will be to assess spleen preservation in an international, multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Pancreatic Cancer Resectable Pancreatectomy

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Observational Model Type

COHORT

Study Time Perspective

PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* All consecutive adult patients (≥ 18 years) who undergo an open or minimally invasive (i.e., robot-assisted or laparoscopic) left-sided pancreatectomy with concomitant splenectomy for primary resectable, borderline resectable, and locally advanced left-sided PDAC

Exclusion Criteria

* Tumor involvement or abutment of the spleen
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Academisch Medisch Centrum - Universiteit van Amsterdam (AMC-UvA)

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

M.G. Besselink

Professor of Surgery

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Jony van Hilst, MD, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Amsterdam UMC, location University of Amsterdam, Department of Surgery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Marc G Besselink, MD, PhD, professor

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Amsterdam UMC, location University of Amsterdam, Department of Surgery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

BenQ Hospital

Nanjing, , China

Site Status RECRUITING

Konstantopoulio General Hospital

Athens, , Greece

Site Status RECRUITING

Padova University Hospital

Padua, , Italy

Site Status RECRUITING

Kyushu University Hospital

Fukuoka, , Japan

Site Status RECRUITING

Amsterdam UMC

Amsterdam, , Netherlands

Site Status RECRUITING

OLVG Hospital

Amsterdam, , Netherlands

Site Status RECRUITING

Leiden University Medical Center

Leiden, , Netherlands

Site Status RECRUITING

Oslo University Hospital

Oslo, , Norway

Site Status RECRUITING

Dr. Peset University Hospital

Valencia, , Spain

Site Status RECRUITING

Linköping University Hospital

Linköping, , Sweden

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

China Greece Italy Japan Netherlands Norway Spain Sweden

Central Contacts

Reach out to these primary contacts for questions about participation or study logistics.

Jony van Hilst, MD, PhD

Role: CONTACT

0031617088813

Caro L Bruna, MD

Role: CONTACT

0031648515166

Facility Contacts

Find local site contact details for specific facilities participating in the trial.

Miao

Role: primary

Delis

Role: primary

0031648515166

Marchegiani

Role: primary

0031648515166

Ikenaga

Role: primary

0031648515166

Bruna

Role: primary

0031648515166

van Hilst

Role: primary

0031648515166

Mieog

Role: primary

0031648515166

Tholfsen

Role: primary

0031648515166

Domingo Del Pozo

Role: primary

0031648515166

Björnsson

Role: primary

0031648515166

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Bruna CL, van Hilst J, Esposito A, Kleive D, Falconi M, Primrose JN, Korrel M, Bianchi D, Zerbi A, Kokkola A, Butturini G, Bjornsson B, Morone M, Casadei R, Marudanayagam R, Besselink MG, Abu Hilal M; European Consortium on Minimally Invasive Pancreatic Surgery (E-MIPS). The value of splenectomy during left-sided pancreatectomy for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: predefined subanalysis in the DIPLOMA randomized trial. Br J Surg. 2024 Aug 30;111(9):znae236. doi: 10.1093/bjs/znae236. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 39287489 (View on PubMed)

Related Links

Access external resources that provide additional context or updates about the study.

https://dpcg.nl/studie/splendid-studie/

Dutch Pancreatic Cancer Group

https://www.e-mips.com/splendid

E-MIPS consortium (English)

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

2024.0713

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.

Early Recurrence After Surgery for Pancreatic Cancer
NCT07241676 ENROLLING_BY_INVITATION