This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. M A N U S C R I P T A C C E P T E D ARTICLE IN PRESS M A N U S C R I P T A C C E P T E D ARTICLE IN PRESS Kuhn et al. 2 Abstract AIM:Aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of demographic factors (DGF) and socioeconomic status (SES) on survival after pancreatic cancer resection in a German setting. METHODS:Patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma and pancreaticoduodenectomy were identified from our pancreatic resection database (1989)(1990)(1991)(1992)(1993)(1994)(1995)(1996)(1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008). DGF, SES, survival and tumor-related information were obtained from hospital records, a registry office questionnaire, and telephone interviews with patients, relatives and general practitioners. RESULTS:Follow-up was completed in 117 patients. Median overall survival and 5-year survival rate was 22 month and 10%, respectively. Survival significantly improved over time with a 16% 5-year survival and a median survival of 27 month for recent patients. The longest survival period with a median of 63 month was observed for patients with AJCC stage I. Tumorrelated factors and treatment period, but not SES influenced survival after pancreatic cancer resection in our cohort. CONCLUSIONS:To our knowledge, this is the first study to explore survival from pancreatic cancer according to DGF and SES in a German setting. Disparities in survival among our patients depend solely on tumor-related factors and treatment period and could not be explained by SES including key factors like income or type of health insurance. The comparable postresection outcome of patients with low and high SES at our department could be in part due to the universal German multi-payer health system, based on compulsory enrolment for the majority, which seems not to support healthcare inequalities seen in other OECD countries.