DEFINITIVE surgical resection of carcinoma of the head of the pancreas or papilla of Vater is relatively recent1and has been performed so infrequently that the proper evaluation of its place in treatment is difficult. The over-all results of treatment of carcinoma of the pancreas are even more difficult to establish, since most reported series include only cases with resection. Recent reviews by Loggan and Kleinsasser2and Child3make redundant a further complete review of the literature. The incidence of carcinoma of the pancreas is not rare, as established from the 1949 figures of the Connecticut State Tumor Registry.4It occurred 104 times in 4,661 registered cases, an incidence of 2.2%. The incidence in males was higher, 2.8%, as compared with 1.7% in women. This male-female ratio of 1.6: 1 compares with the 2: 1 and the 2.5: 1 ratio in postmortem series.5All patients