Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly forms of cancer. It often goes undetected for years and by the time it is detected, it usually is inoperable, making many treatment options merely palliative. Even so, if caught early enough, there are effective treatments that can shrink or even eliminate pancreatic cancer from your body, providing you a positive prognosis.
Surgery
If caught very early on, pancreatic cancer sometimes is operable, meaning your doctor can remove the tumor. This is only feasible if the cancer has not spread to other organs or lymph nodes. The surgery involves removing a tumor in either the pancreatic head or the pancreatic tail and body. If you require the former, then your doctor will perform the Whipple procedure, which involves removing some small intestine, your gallbladder and the head of your pancreas. If you need the latter, your physician will remove the tail and some of the body of your pancreas.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is another treatment option for pancreatic cancer. It involves injecting very strong drugs into your body, or taking oral medications that target the pancreatic cancer cells, in an attempt to kill them. Your doctor may prescribe a single drug or a combination of drugs. Your doctor may recommend chemotherapy after surgery or in combination with radiation therapy for the best possible outcome.
Radiation
Radiation therapy also can be effective in treating pancreatic cancer. It involves using beams of energy targeted on cancer cells to try to kill them. Sometimes your physician will order radiation before surgery to help shrink your tumor, but she may also prescribe it afterward to reduce the chance of the cancer returning. Doctors often order radiation combined with chemotherapy to prevent a tumor from spreading, to shrink a tumor, or to prevent a tumor from returning.
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