This dataset comprises the articles incorporated in the meta-analysis. In total, 78 articles underwent thorough review, and 67 were disqualified either because they lacked preoperative or postoperative samples or because they contained data from patients with metastatic conditions. Furthermore, one additional study sourced from the references list was integrated into the analysis before quantitative data examination. Ultimately, 12 articles were encompassed in the meta-analysis, encompassing a total of 413 patients diagnosed with potentially resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The study's inclusion period spanned from 1998 to 2021.

Patients were included in the quantitative analysis in accordance with the intention-to-treat principle. Notably, 17 patients (4.1%) were eventually reclassified as stage IV due to the presence of distant lymph node positivity observed during the analysis of resected specimens, discrepancies in CT scans, or unforeseen surgical findings. A unanimous decision was reached to incorporate these stage IV patients into the meta-analysis in order to mirror a real-world clinical scenario and facilitate an intention-to-treat analysis