Pancreatic Surgical Oncology
If you’ve been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, one of the first things your cancer care team will assess is whether surgery can be performed. When pancreatic cancer is found early, it can be surgically removed, giving the best opportunity for a full recovery. For patients whose cancer can’t be cured with surgery, there may be other surgical procedures and treatments available.
Compass Oncology's pancreatic cancer care team, including our pancreatic cancer surgeon, will discuss your treatment options, including surgery, and the expected results.
Who Performs Pancreatic Surgery?
A hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) surgeon is a specialist who will perform your pancreatic surgery. HPB surgery focuses on the surgical treatment of diseases affecting the liver, pancreas, and biliary system (gallbladder and bile ducts).
These surgeons are highly specialized and trained to operate on complex conditions, including pancreatic cancer, pancreatitis, and other pancreatic disorders. They have expertise in both cancerous and non-cancerous conditions of the pancreas, ensuring comprehensive care ranging from diagnosis through to surgical intervention and post-operative management. Compass Oncology's pancreatic cancer treatment team includes an HPB surgical oncologist.
Meet our Pancreatic Surgical Oncologist in Portland-Vancouver
Determining Pancreatic Cancer Surgery as a Treatment Option
Imaging tests like CT or MRI scans with angiography will play a large role in determining if surgery is possible. These images allow the surgeon and oncologist to identify the tumor's size, location, and involvement of nearby blood vessels. Based on what is found in the images, the HPB surgeon will determine if the cancer is resectable—removable by surgery.
In some cases, the surgeon will need to perform a procedure to see the tumor and the surrounding area to determine if it can be removed.
Types of Surgery for Pancreatic Cancer
If your HPB surgeon indicates that surgery is the best option for your pancreatic cancer treatment plan, next is deciding the type of surgery. When it comes to pancreatic cancer, there are typically two types of surgery: potentially curative surgery and palliative surgery.
- Potentially curative surgery: This type of surgery is done when tests indicate that all of the cancer can be surgically removed.
- Palliative surgery: This type of surgery is done if tests show that the cancer is too widespread and unlikely to be completely removed. This surgery focuses on relieving symptoms, but it is not intended to cure cancer.
Potentially Curative Surgery for Pancreatic Cancer
Whipple Procedure (pancreaticoduodenectomy)
Laparoscopic Whipple Procedure
In laparoscopic Whipple surgery, small incisions are made so that the camera and surgical instruments can be inserted inside the body. This minimally invasive approach achieves similar outcomes as open surgery but with potentially faster recovery times and reduced postoperative pain.
Robotic Whipple Procedure
Robotic-assisted Whipple surgery involves using robotic arms controlled by the surgeon, which provides enhanced precision where the cancer is harder to reach.
Open Whipple Procedure
During an open Whipple procedure, a large incision is made in the abdomen to access and remove the head of the pancreas, part of the stomach, part of the small intestine, the gallbladder, and the bile duct. A portion of the pancreas is left in place so patients can maintain proper digestive function.
Side Effects of a Whipple Procedure
Common side effects of the Whipple procedure include:
- Digestive Changes: Patients may experience changes in digestion and absorption of nutrients, often managed with dietary changes.
- Diabetes Risk: Removal of part of the pancreas can increase the risk of developing diabetes.
- Complications: Potential surgical complications include infection, bleeding, and leaks from the surgical connections, which require close post-operative monitoring and sometimes additional interventions
Distal Pancreatectomy
Distal pancreatectomy removes the body and the tail of the pancreas, as well as the spleen, if it is affected.
Total Pancreatectomy
This type of surgery removes the entire pancreas, part of the small intestine, part of the stomach, the spleen, the gallbladder, the common bile duct, and some lymph nodes.
Palliative Surgery for Pancreatic Cancer
For patients whose pancreatic cancer is too widespread to be removed with surgery, palliative surgery is the recommended option. This type of surgery does not remove the cancer but instead focuses on providing relief for some of the symptoms. Some types of palliative surgery include biliary bypass, endoscopic stent, or gastric bypass.
Biliary bypass
This procedure can help when a pancreatic tumor blocks the bile duct, and bile builds up in the gallbladder. In this procedure, the surgeon reroutes the gallbladder or part of the bile duct past the blockage.
Endoscopic stent
This is another approach to fixing a blocked bile duct. A stent (a thin tube) may be placed to drain bile that has built up in that area.
Gastric bypass
A bypass can help when pancreatic tumors block the flow of food from the stomach. A surgeon can attach the stomach to the small intestine in a new way so the food can digest normally.
Other palliative surgeries may be performed to relieve other specific symptoms.
Pancreatic Cancer Surgery at Compass Oncology
If you are located in the Portland, Oregon, or Vancouver, Washington area and have received a pancreatic cancer diagnosis, Compass Oncology is here for you. We are committed to providing customized and compassionate care to each of our patients for both surgical and non-surgical cancer treatment plans. Contact us today to schedule your consultation with the pancreatic cancer care team at Compass Oncology.
