| [ Summary ] |
In Japan, the number of patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) has been rapidly increasing. However, the prognosis of severe AP has been improved because of the advancements of treatment methods. The recently revised Atlanta Classification will have an impact on the therapeutic strategy of severe AP. The discovery of the genes responsible for hereditary pancreatitis and some types of idiopathic pancreatitis has shed light on the pathological mechanisms of chronic pancreatitis (CP) and its early clinical features. The prospective follow‒up of patients in the early stage of CP diagnosed using the Japanese Clinical Diagnostic Criteria 2009 is expected to clarify the clinical course and the best treatment for the prevention of disease progression. Since the proposal of the concept of autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP), the disease has attracted much attention in terms of the pathology, clinical features, and treatment. Although the international consensus diagnostic criteria (ICDC) for AIP have been proposed, the best therapeutic strategy has not yet been established. The number of patients with pancreatic cancer (PCa) has also been increasing rapidly in Japan. Despite some advances in the diagnosis and treatment, the prognosis of PCa has not remarkably improved in the past 30 years, necessitating epoch‒making advancement in this field. |