CA Pancreas

Pancreatic cancer begins in the tissues of your pancreas — an organ in your abdomen that lies behind the lower part of your stomach. Your pancreas releases enzymes that aid digestion and produce hormones that help manage your blood sugar.

Several types of growths can occur in the pancreas, including cancerous and noncancerous tumors. The most common type of cancer that forms in the pancreas begins in the cells that line the ducts that carry digestive enzymes out of the pancreas (pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma).

Pancreatic cancer is seldom detected at its early stages when it’s most curable. This is because it often doesn’t cause symptoms until after it has spread to other organs.

Pancreatic cancer treatment options are chosen based on the extent of cancer. Options may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or a combination of these.

Whipple Procedure

A Whipple procedure — also known as a pancreaticoduodenectomy — is a complex operation to remove the head of the pancreas, the first part of the small intestine (duodenum), the gallbladder and the bile duct.

The Whipple procedure is used to treat tumors and other disorders of the pancreas, intestine and bile duct. It is the most often used surgery to treat pancreatic cancer that’s confined to the head of the pancreas. After performing the Whipple procedure, your surgeon reconnects the remaining organs to allow you to digest food normally after surgery.

The Whipple procedure is a difficult and demanding operation and can have serious risks. However, this surgery is often lifesaving, particularly for people with cancer.

Distal Pancreatectomy

Surgery to remove the body and the tail of the pancreas. The spleen may also be removed. A distal pancreatectomy is usually done to remove benign (not cancer) or malignant (cancer) pancreatic tumors found in the body or tail of the pancreas, but it may also be done to treat chronic pancreatitis and injuries to the pancreas.

Bening Lesion of Pancreas

A non-cancerous (benign) tumour of the pancreas is a growth that does not spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body. Non-cancerous tumours are not usually life-threatening. They are typically removed with surgery and do not usually come back (recur).

There are a few types of non-cancerous tumours of the pancreas.

Insulinoma

Insulinoma is one of several pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNET) or islet cell tumors. These are rare tumors that start in your pancreas’ endocrine cells. They affect the endocrine cell that releases insulin, the hormone that keeps your blood sugar (blood glucose) levels from getting too high. More than 90% of insulinomas are benign tumors, meaning they don’t spread outside of your pancreas. Healthcare providers use surgery to remove insulinomas and cure the condition.

Pseudocyst of Pancreas

• Pancreatic pseudocysts are collections of leaked pancreatic fluids. They may form next to the pancreas during pancreatitis.
• Having gallstones and drinking a lot of alcohol are the two most common causes of pancreatitis.
• Most people with pseudocysts will have stomach pain, vomiting, and other symptoms of pancreatitis.
• Your healthcare provider can like to diagnose a pseudocyst with a CT or another imaging test.
• Many pseudocysts get better without treatment. If your pseudocyst is large or hasn’t gone away over time, your healthcare provider may drain it.