Pancreatic Cancer Surgery
Pancreatic cancer surgery is the most common type of treatment used to remove tumors on the pancreas. It is also the most effective way of treating pancreatic cancer tumors. Surgery is also used for non-cancerous growths such as cysts.
There are two basic types of surgery that doctors employ to remove cancer: potentially curative surgery and palliative surgery. When tests find the tumor operable and the surgery stands a good chance of removing the cancer, curative surgery is used. It is most commonly performed when the cancer tumor is growing on the pancreas' head. Tumors in this location can obstruct the bile duct, which causes jaundice (yellow skin and eyes). Thus, tumors on the head of the pancreas are usually found early, before they can reach late-stage cancer. Surgery is also conducted on the body and tail of the pancreas if tumors are found, but only if the cancer can be completely removed.
Three types of potentially curative pancreatic cancer surgery exist. The most common is the pancreaticoduodenectomy, or Whipple procedure. This surgery involves removing cancerous growths from the exocrine pancreas. Doctors remove pancreas head section, trying to leave as much of the organ intact as they can. With the head they also remove the gallbladder and sections of the small intestine, stomach, lymph nodes, and common bile duct that are closest to the pancreas. During the operation they attach the remainder of the bile duct to the small intestine.
The Whipple procedure is and intricate and complex surgery, calling for the hand of a master surgeon. Besides being difficult for the surgeon, the surgery is fraught with danger for the patient. If performed in small hospitals or by doctors who do not specialize in the field of pancreatic cancer surgery, as many as 15 percent of patients die from complications. Even at facilities designed for the surgery, and conducted by expert doctors, 2 to 5 percent of patients still die. Thirty to 50 percent of patients will experience complications like leakage from the sutured organs into the body cavity, infection, delayed emptying of the stomach after meals, and bleeding. Even after the tumor is removed, only 20 percent of patients live beyond 5 years. The distal pancreatectomy is another surgery. It removes the tail of the pancreas and occasionally the lower portion of the pancreas body if the cancers has spread there. of the. Surgeons remove the spleen with the pancreas tail. This type surgery usually treats islet cell tumors. But because cancerous tumors in the lower sections of the pancreas have usually metastasized by the time they are diagnosed, the distal pancreatectomy is rarely used on cancer tumors. A total pancreatectomy is just what it sounds: the removal of the entire pancreas. With it goes the spleen. It shows little advantage in treating pancreatic cancer, but it is used to treat tumors in people whose pancreas has lost its islet cells due to the growths. Palliative surgery is used after the cancer spreads beyond treatable limits. The surgery is mainly used to correct tumors symptoms like jaundice. Surgeons either reroute the bile duct directly to the small intestine, or, if the duct is blocked, they place a stent (a tube) inside. The last option is done via endoscope, not surgery. The endoscope enters by the patient’s mouth and follows the digestive tract to the bile duct. Stents are less common than rerouting the duct. Pancreatic cancer surgery is one most complex and difficult operations for a surgeon. It's no easier on the patient. The complications can be fatal, and patients need weeks to recover. There are some benefits to pancreatic cancer surgery, but even after undergoing it, most patients still die of the disease.
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