On January 24, 2008, the American Hepato-PancreatoBiliary Association convened a Consensus Conference on Resectable and Borderline Resectable Pancreatic Cancer. The conference was cosponsored by the Society of Surgical Oncology, the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, and the Gastrointestinal Symposium Steering Committee. The goals of this conference were to define resectable and borderline resectable pancreatic cancer and to review the indications and contraindications for surgery, neoadjuvant therapy, and adjuvant therapy for these lesions. The meeting took place over 1 day and was divided into three sessions addressing (1) pretreatment assessment, (2) surgical treatment, and (3) combined-modality treatment. This issue of Annals of Surgical Oncology has three articles outlining the consensus statements, each accompanied by an editorial. The methods used in this consensus conference have been described previously. After consultation among experts from the three sponsoring societies, a group of experts was identified and invited to participate in this conference. Each expert was asked to present on a given area and to outline two or three consensus statements at the end of his or her presentation. A panel of content experts commented on the consensus statements, and then the audience was given the opportunity to comment on the consensus statements. After the symposium, three manuscripts, each summarizing one of the sessions, were written by the speakers and session cochairs. Each manuscript was then given to the corresponding session panelists, who wrote a brief editorial highlighting areas of controversy and importance and providing alternative perspectives. The consensus statements define ‘‘resectable’’ and ‘‘borderline resectable.’’ This important first step provides a starting point for discussion regarding the appropriate use of surgery, neoadjuvant therapy, and adjuvant therapy. Use of consistent definitions of resectable and borderline resectable will facilitate comparison between institutions and future published works, which currently is limited because of the variety of definitions used in the published literature dealing with pancreatic cancer. The consensus statements also highlight the acceptable methods of radiologic and endoscopic assessment of resectable and borderline resectable pancreatic tumors, the clinical settings in which preoperative biopsy is needed, and the specific indications for the selective use of laparoscopic staging. Further, the consensus statements recommend against extended lymphadenectomy, define the clinical setting in which vascular reconstruction may be necessary, and recommend that operating surgeons have facility with these techniques. There is also a call for standardized margin definitions and a description of the limited role of ‘‘palliative’’ pancreaticoduodenectomy. The consensus statements identify the clinical setting in which before-surgery systemic therapy and radiation therapy may be warranted and highlight the conflicting evidence regarding postoperative chemotherapy alone versus combined chemoradiotherapy. Finally, areas requiring further study are identified and highlighted. The conference participants and the consensus statements generated reflect the importance of ongoing collaborative multidisciplinary care of patients with pancreatic cancer. Society of Surgical Oncology 2009