Criteria for use of composite end points for competing risks-a systematic survey of the literature with recommendations.

Background: Composite end points are frequently used in reports of clinical trials. One rationale for the use of composite end points is to account for competing risks. In the presence of competing risks, the event rate of a specific event depends on the rates of other competing events.

International consensus guidelines for surgical resection of mucinous neoplasms cannot be applied to all cystic lesions of the pancreas.

Background & Aims: International consensus guidelines, aimed at predicting malignancy, are available for surgical resection of mucinous cysts but not for other cystic lesions of the pancreas. We sought to determine whether the consensus guidelines can be applied to all cystic lesions of the pancreas.

Methods: We identified all patients who underwent surgical resection of pancreatic cysts from 2001-2007.