Adnkronos (Adnkronos) – Gianpaolo Balzano has been elected president of the Italian Association for the Study of the Pancreas (AISP) for the three-year term 2026-2029. The appointment took place during the association's 50th National Congress, which concluded today in Bergamo. Formerly associate professor of General Surgery at the University of Insubria, head of Pancreatic Surgery at the Circolo Hospital in Varese, scientific coordinator of the Lombardy Region's Pancreas Unit Network, and author of several studies on centralized pancreatic surgery models, Balzano succeeds Silvia Carrara – AISP informs in a statement – and enters the role with the aim of guiding the evolution of pancreatic disease treatment towards more effective and patient-centered models, especially in oncology.
Pancreatic cancer continues to pose a crucial challenge in oncology, despite advances in diagnosis, treatment, and surgery,” explains Balzano. “This is why innovation must extend beyond clinical and technological research to encompass organizational and care models, aiming to make treatment pathways more integrated, appropriate, and consistent, and to ensure equitable access to excellent services.
In this context, Pancreas Units can represent an organizational model capable of strengthening multidisciplinary care and continuity of care, through sustainable implementation within the resources already available from the National Health Service.
In Italy, approximately 14 new diagnoses of pancreatic cancer are recorded each year – the note states – with a 5-year survival rate of just over 10%.
Among the most common cancers, this is the one with the worst prognosis: approximately half of patients have already metastasized when the first symptoms appear, and only 20% are at an early stage that allows surgery. In this context, pancreatic surgery, among the most complex abdominal procedures, carries a mortality risk that varies greatly depending on the center's experience.
In highly specialized hospitals, mortality after pancreatic resection is less than 5%, while in others it can exceed 20% and, in some cases, reach over 30%. "It is no longer acceptable that the probability of surviving a procedure depends so significantly on the hospital where one is operated," states Balzano. "Pancreatic surgery must be concentrated in centers that not only have adequate capacity, but also multidisciplinary expertise, organization, and documented results."
"The Lombardy experience, for example," emphasizes the new AISP president, "demonstrates that change is possible. The challenge in the coming years will be to bring this model to the attention of the Ministry of Health and the State-Regions Conference, to promote its progressive implementation nationwide." Lombardy, the statement recalls, was the first Italian region to establish a formalized network of Pancreas Units, selecting referral centers based on specific quality requirements. Initial data show significant results, with a reduction in average surgical mortality from 8,8% in 2024 to 5,5% in 2025. The model is based on a Hub & Spoke network, which allows for care that does not require highly specialized expertise (Spoke) to be provided close to the patient's home and for more complex interventions to be concentrated in referral centers (Hub), ensuring shared pathways, multidisciplinary expertise, and quality standards.
"A document for the implementation of the Pancreas Units has already been approved by the Ministry of Health," Balzano emphasizes. "We now need to complete the institutional process with the Regions to facilitate its implementation nationwide."
Alongside the development of the Pancreas Units, the new presidency's program aims to strengthen AISP's role alongside patients, promoting accurate and informed information on prevention, risk factors, genetics, therapies, nutrition, and supportive care. Among the planned initiatives, the statement concludes, particular attention will be paid to disseminating information on ongoing clinical trials for pancreatic cancer in Italy and increasing access to public data on the quality of care.
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