Pancreatic Cancer Surgery

Surgery can be helpful to remove the pancreatic cancer cells and to manage the symptoms of pancreatic cancer. Surgery is very effective if pancreatic cancer is detected at the early stage. Pancreatic cancer tumor can be removed through three types of surgeries. Following are the three pancreatic cancer surgeries:

  1. Whipple Procedure
  2. Total Pancreatectomy
  3. Distal Pancreatectomy

If pancreatic cancer has spread to the distant parts of body and it cannot be cured by other treatments, surgery is performed to reduce symptoms of pancreatic cancer. Endoscopic stent placement, gastric bypass and surgical biliary bypass are the three surgeries available to remove the cancer.

Pancreatic cancer surgery also depends upon three major factors. These factors include-

Whipple Procedure

Whipple surgical treatment is very common to cure pancreatic cancer tumor. Whipple procedure is only possible when the patient is able to endure the major surgery and if the cancer has not affected the structure in nearby organs.

When tumor is located at the head of pancreas, it becomes necessary to remove some parts from pancreas and other organs. These parts may be the head of the pancreas, bile duct and small intestines partially. It may be that sometimes the nearby tissues need to be removed. However, there will be enough part of pancreas into the body for the production of insulin and digestive juices.

Distal Pancreatectomy

Distal pancreatectomy surgery also used to remove pancreatic cancer tumor located at pancreas. In this procedure, the body and tail of pancreas are removed. In some of the cases, spleen also removed. However, it also depends upon the exact location of cancer.

Total Pancreatectomy

This procedure includes the removal of number of parts. These parts are:

Palliative Therapy for Pancreatic cancer

Palliative therapy of pancreatic cancer surgery is applied when the cancer cannot be removed. It reduces the symptoms of pancreatic cancer. Following are the options available in this therapy:

Surgical Biliary Bypass

When small intestine is blocked due to the cancer biliary bypass is performed. The gallbladder needs to be removed and it is sewed with small intestine. This provides a new pathway for near to the blocked area.

Gastric Bypass

When the cancer has blocked the food from flowing to the stomach, gastric bypass is performed. In this process, the stomach is sewed to the small intestine. Hence, patient can eat normally after the surgery.

Endoscopic Stent Placement

In this surgery, a stent is placed to drain the bile, which is blocked by the pancreatic cancer tumor.

Finally, after the surgery, patients can feel weak. The recovery period for each patient differs depending upon their health and the spread of pancreatic cancer. Therefore, patients should consult with doctors about their pains and other health problems after surgery.