Treatment of pancreatic cancer depends on the stage and location of the cancer and your age, overall health and personal preferences. The first goal of treatment of pancreatic cancer is to remove the cancer, when possible. When this is not an option, the focus may be to prevent pancreatic cancer from growing or causing more damage. When pancreatic cancer is advanced and treatments are not likely to offer an advantage, your doctor may suggest ways to relieve symptoms and make you as comfortable as possible.
Surgery
Surgery may be an option if the cancer of the pancreas is limited to the pancreas. Operational use by people with pancreatic cancer are:
Surgery of tumors of the head of the pancreas. If pancreatic cancer is located in the pancreatic head, we can consider the operation known as a Whipple procedure (pancreatoduodenectomy). Whipple procedure involves removing the head of the pancreas, as well as a part of your small intestine (duodenum), part of your gallbladder and bile duct. Part of the stomach can also be removed. The surgeon connects the other parts of the stomach, pancreas and intestines, so you can digest food.
Whipple surgery carries a risk of infection and bleeding. After surgery, some people experience nausea and vomiting that may occur if the stomach is empty difficulty (gastric emptying). Expect a long convalescence after a Whipple operation. You will spend 10 or more days in the hospital and then recover for several weeks at home.
Surgery of tumors of the pancreatic tail and body. Surgery to remove the tail of the pancreas or the tail and a small part of the body is called distal pancreatectomy. Your surgeon may also remove the spleen. Surgery carries a risk of bleeding and infection.
Research shows that surgery for pancreatic cancer tends to cause fewer complications when performed by experienced surgeons. Feel free to ask about the surgeon's experience with surgery for pancreatic cancer. If you have any doubt, seek a second opinion.
Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy with high energy beams to destroy cancer cells. You can get radiation treatments before or after surgery for cancer, often in combination with chemotherapy. Or, your doctor may recommend a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, when the cancer can be treated surgically.
The radiation may come from a machine outside the body (external radiation) or it can be placed inside your body near your cancer (brachytherapy). Radiation therapy can also be used during surgery (intraoperative radiation therapy).
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy can be injected into a vein or by mouth. You can receive a chemotherapy drug, or you could get a combination of chemotherapy drugs.
Chemotherapy can also be combined with radiation (chemoradiation). Chemoradiotherapy is generally used to treat cancer has spread beyond the pancreas, but only to nearby organs and not to remote areas of the body. This combination can also be used after surgery to reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer may recur.
People with advanced pancreatic cancer, chemotherapy may be combined with targeted drugs.
Targeted therapy
Targeted therapy uses drugs that attack specific abnormalities within cancer cells. Targeted drug erlotinib (Tarceva), blocks chemicals that signal the cancer cells grow and divide. Tarceva is usually in combination with chemotherapy for people with advanced pancreatic cancer.
Other targeted therapies to drugs are under investigation in clinical trials.
Clinical trials
Clinical trials are studies to test new forms of treatment such as new drugs, new approaches to surgery or radiotherapy, and new methods such as gene therapy. If the study treatment is found to be safer or more effective than current treatments are, it can become the new standard of care.
Clinical trials can not guarantee a cure and can have serious side effects or unexpected. In addition, clinical trials on cancer, closely monitored by the federal government to ensure they are conducted as safely as possible. And they provide access to treatments that would not otherwise be available to you.
Talk to your doctor about clinical trials may be appropriate for you.
New treatments currently under investigation in clinical trials include:
Drugs that stop cancer from developing new blood vessels. Targeted therapies against drugs that act by preventing the cancer from growing new blood vessels is called angiogenesis inhibitors. Without new blood vessels, cancer cells may be unable to obtain the nutrients they need to grow. Blood vessels also provide a way cancer cells spread to other body parts.
Vaccine for pancreatic cancer. Cancer vaccines are being studied to treat cancer instead of preventing disease, vaccines are traditionally used. The treatment of cancer vaccines use various strategies to strengthen the immune system to help recognize cancer cells as intruders. In one example, a vaccine may help prepare the immune system to attack a certain protein secreted by pancreatic cancer cells. Studies of pancreatic cancer vaccine are still in very early stage.
Surgery
Surgery may be an option if the cancer of the pancreas is limited to the pancreas. Operational use by people with pancreatic cancer are:
Surgery of tumors of the head of the pancreas. If pancreatic cancer is located in the pancreatic head, we can consider the operation known as a Whipple procedure (pancreatoduodenectomy). Whipple procedure involves removing the head of the pancreas, as well as a part of your small intestine (duodenum), part of your gallbladder and bile duct. Part of the stomach can also be removed. The surgeon connects the other parts of the stomach, pancreas and intestines, so you can digest food.
Whipple surgery carries a risk of infection and bleeding. After surgery, some people experience nausea and vomiting that may occur if the stomach is empty difficulty (gastric emptying). Expect a long convalescence after a Whipple operation. You will spend 10 or more days in the hospital and then recover for several weeks at home.
Surgery of tumors of the pancreatic tail and body. Surgery to remove the tail of the pancreas or the tail and a small part of the body is called distal pancreatectomy. Your surgeon may also remove the spleen. Surgery carries a risk of bleeding and infection.
Research shows that surgery for pancreatic cancer tends to cause fewer complications when performed by experienced surgeons. Feel free to ask about the surgeon's experience with surgery for pancreatic cancer. If you have any doubt, seek a second opinion.
Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy with high energy beams to destroy cancer cells. You can get radiation treatments before or after surgery for cancer, often in combination with chemotherapy. Or, your doctor may recommend a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, when the cancer can be treated surgically.
The radiation may come from a machine outside the body (external radiation) or it can be placed inside your body near your cancer (brachytherapy). Radiation therapy can also be used during surgery (intraoperative radiation therapy).
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy can be injected into a vein or by mouth. You can receive a chemotherapy drug, or you could get a combination of chemotherapy drugs.
Chemotherapy can also be combined with radiation (chemoradiation). Chemoradiotherapy is generally used to treat cancer has spread beyond the pancreas, but only to nearby organs and not to remote areas of the body. This combination can also be used after surgery to reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer may recur.
People with advanced pancreatic cancer, chemotherapy may be combined with targeted drugs.
Targeted therapy
Targeted therapy uses drugs that attack specific abnormalities within cancer cells. Targeted drug erlotinib (Tarceva), blocks chemicals that signal the cancer cells grow and divide. Tarceva is usually in combination with chemotherapy for people with advanced pancreatic cancer.
Other targeted therapies to drugs are under investigation in clinical trials.
Clinical trials
Clinical trials are studies to test new forms of treatment such as new drugs, new approaches to surgery or radiotherapy, and new methods such as gene therapy. If the study treatment is found to be safer or more effective than current treatments are, it can become the new standard of care.
Clinical trials can not guarantee a cure and can have serious side effects or unexpected. In addition, clinical trials on cancer, closely monitored by the federal government to ensure they are conducted as safely as possible. And they provide access to treatments that would not otherwise be available to you.
Talk to your doctor about clinical trials may be appropriate for you.
New treatments currently under investigation in clinical trials include:
Drugs that stop cancer from developing new blood vessels. Targeted therapies against drugs that act by preventing the cancer from growing new blood vessels is called angiogenesis inhibitors. Without new blood vessels, cancer cells may be unable to obtain the nutrients they need to grow. Blood vessels also provide a way cancer cells spread to other body parts.
Vaccine for pancreatic cancer. Cancer vaccines are being studied to treat cancer instead of preventing disease, vaccines are traditionally used. The treatment of cancer vaccines use various strategies to strengthen the immune system to help recognize cancer cells as intruders. In one example, a vaccine may help prepare the immune system to attack a certain protein secreted by pancreatic cancer cells. Studies of pancreatic cancer vaccine are still in very early stage.
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