| Treatment of pancreatic cancer can be broadly | | | | the pancreas. The gall bladder and part of the |
| classified into 4 categories | | | | common bile duct is also removed and the remaining |
| - Surgery | | | | bile duct is attached to the small intestine to maintain |
| - Radiotherapy | | | | the flow of bile from liver to the intestine. |
| - Chemotherapy , and | | | | Distal pancreatectomy : during this procedure the tail |
| - alternative therapies | | | | and the body of the pancreas is removed. Spleen is |
| Surgery remains the main modality of treatment of | | | | also removed as well during this procedure. This |
| pancreatic cancer. Complete surgical removal of the | | | | procedure is most often used for tumors originating |
| cancer, in cases where the cancer is localized and has | | | | in the tail and body of the pancreas. |
| not metastasized, is the only hope of cure in | | | | Total pancreatectomy : During this procedure the |
| pancreatic cancer. | | | | whole of the pancreas along with spleen, part of the |
| Surgery for pancreatic cancer is a difficult procedure | | | | stomach , part of small intestine and gall bladder and |
| to perform requiring considerable amount of skill and | | | | common bileduct and nearby lymph nodes are |
| experience on the part of the surgeon. Surgery for | | | | removed. This procedure is seldom used nowadays in |
| pancreatic cancer involves considerable risk of | | | | the treatment of pancreatic cancer as it doesn't |
| complications to the patient, which may be fatal in | | | | seem to provide any additional survival benefit over |
| some cases. The fatality rates due to surgical | | | | other procedures. Diabetes mellitus which is a |
| complication may be as high as 15% in the hands of | | | | complication of this surgery, due to complete removal |
| inexperienced surgeons. whereas surgeries performed | | | | of the pancreas, the source of insulin, can be very |
| by more experienced surgeons and at facilities with | | | | hard to manage in the patients of pancreatic cancer |
| sophisticated facilities the fatality rates after surgery | | | | and the patients become completely dependent on |
| are as low as 5%. | | | | external insulin after surgery. |
| Surgery may be used as a single modality or | | | | Palliative surgery |
| combined with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. | | | | As it is obvious from the above discussion curative |
| Surgeries performed for pancreatic cancer can be | | | | surgery can't be performed in majority of the |
| broadly classified into two groups. | | | | patients as the cancer, at the time of diagnosis, has |
| - curative surgeries, aimed at complete cure of the | | | | metastasized to other organs in the body. But |
| cancer | | | | surgery an be performed in these patients also, with |
| - palliative surgeries, for palliation of symptoms. | | | | the aim of alleviating the symptoms. |
| Curative surgery | | | | One of the common symptom of pancreatic cancer |
| Curative surgeries can be attempted in patients | | | | is jaundice, a result of the blockage of the common |
| where the cancer is localized to pancreas with no | | | | bile duct. This can also cause pain and digestive |
| evidence of any metastatic spread of the disease to | | | | problems. Two procedures are commonly employed |
| other organs in the body, on CT and MRI | | | | to relieve this symptom. |
| investigations. | | | | - Surgery to reroute the flow of the bile from the |
| Complete resection of the tumor is the only | | | | common bile duct directly to the small intestine |
| effective treatment option for pancreatic cancer, at | | | | bypassing the pancreas. The downside of this |
| present. Unfortunately such curative surgeries are | | | | procedure is a large incision on the abdomen and the |
| only possible in 10-15% of patients only, as the | | | | patient may be required to stay in the hospital for a |
| disease is most often diagnosed at an advanced | | | | long time. One of the benefits of this procedure is |
| stage. Even in cases where the cancer has | | | | that nerves which are affected by the cancer and |
| apparently been completely removed and there is no | | | | responsible for pain can be severed or injected with |
| evidence of metastatic spread on investigations like | | | | alcohol to rid the patient of pain caused by the |
| CT and MRI 5-year survival rate is only 20%. One of | | | | cancer. |
| the important reasons for this low survival rate is the | | | | - Another procedure, which actually doesn't involve |
| inability of the currently available chemotherapeutic | | | | any surgery, but involves placement of a stent, |
| drugs to completely kill the cancerous cells, which | | | | usually made of metal, in the common bile duct |
| may not be detectable with investigations like CT | | | | endoscopically to prevent the narrowing of the lumen |
| and MRI due to their small number, at the metastatic | | | | of the common bile duct due to compression from |
| sites. | | | | the surrounding cancer. The stent may be clogged |
| 3 procedures fall in the category of curative surgeries | | | | after sometimes and may need replacement or |
| . | | | | clearing. |
| Pancreaticoduodenectomy (Whipple procedure) : This | | | | To know more about treatment for pancreatic |
| is the most commonly performed surgery and | | | | cancer and other cancer related articles visit my site |
| involves removal of the head of the pancreas, part | | | | onlinecancersupport. |
| of the small intestine, stomach and lymph nodes near | | | | |