Differences between the clinical staging system of the Japan Pancreas Society (JPS) and the Union Internationale Contre le Cancer (UICC) stage classification may account for reported differences in the prognosis of pancreatic carcinoma between Japan and the West. In the review, we compared the characteristics of the JPS and UICC staging in 1689 patients, registered with the JPS from 1981 to 1990, who underwent resection for carcinoma of the pancreatic head. The survival rates correlated well with the JPS stage classification. The UICC staging did not reflect differences in prognoses among the stages. The current JPS staging system, introduced in 1993, still differs from that of the UICC. To compare the results of treatment for patients with pancreatic cancer it is important to establish a more practical and universal staging system for carcinoma of the pancreas.