Pancreas Cancer Surgery

Question: Is radiation or chemotherapy necessary after multiple organ cancer surgery? A close relative of mine recently had surgery for what was (apparently) secondary liver cancer, and during the surgery they removed his gallbladder, spleen, half of his liver and a third of his pancreas. The doctors said they think they got all of the cancer out of him, but doesn't he also need radiation or some other kind of treatment to prevent it from coming back, since it had already spread to other organs? How likely is it he's been cured just by surgery?

Answer: Radiation and chemo would be a cautionary measure to make sure that cells that escaped get killed, as it cannot be detected if it is only a few cells. The aim of radiation and chemo is to kill sick cells without killing the "host", hoping that the person is strong enough to survive the treatment. Surgery could only remove large enough tumors to be detectable, and as it is secondary already, there is a chance that the bad guys are all around.

Question: Does anyone had ideas of the outcome of chemo to remove pancreas cancer when there is only little cancer left? I have had whipples surgery which removed all but 2% of the cancer and are now having chemo to remove the rest. I am lucky enough to have been treated before the cancer reached the liver or lymp knobes. Does anyone have any idea of the outcome of this. I am hoping there are some good news stories I have heard a lot about people not having long to live but all so far have had cancer more advanced then i have had.

Answer: Chemo works differently on each person - your oncologist will monitor your progress to know if it is working for you. That it hasn't spread is a good sign. The estimate is that cancer doubles in size every 6 months - at one cell that is not a problem - but as time passes it becomes a threat. The chemo is meant to kill the remaining cells and thus end the growth. Good luck.

Question: my mom is going into pancreatic cancer surgery tomorrow? my mom is going into pancreatic surgery tomorrow and im really worried. the doctor said they found a 4cm mass in her pancreas, but the good thing is that it is starting to be cancer or it just started to be cancer so they need to remove it by surgery. what can she do to prepare for it and how long will it take? will there be a possibility that she can recover easily and not have to take chemo? thank you

Answer: I'm really sorry. That is a big thing to deal with. I don't know what her doctor has in mind. Give your mom lots of support. I wish your family luck.

Question: My mother is 72 years old.She has cancer in pancreas? My mother is 72 years old.She had obstructive jaundice.She underwent a byepass surgery to remove block in gall bladder.Now , she has cancer in pancreas.Is it advisable to undergo surgery in the pancreas?Whether she can withstand it? Is it advisable to

Answer: My grandfather is going thru a very similar situation right now, but he is 82. Pancreatic cancer is very dangerous because a person can not live without a functioning pancreas. You need to find out if she is healty enough to not only withstand the complicated procedure but the lengthy recover involved. Find out if it is a slow growing cancer. If it is like in my grandfather's case, he will pass from age before cancer and decided not to do the surgery. Only her doctor can give the best advice on what to do. Try Cancer Treatment Centers of America or the Mayo Clinic in Rochester - both are excellent hospitals if you need a second opinion. You must keep quality of life in the front of your mind. Will the treatment make her miserable for the time she has left..if so it will not be worth it.

Question: My father inlaw went in for surgery today he has pancreatic cancer, they took a part of his pancreas, his .? spleen and part of his stomach. My question is will he eat liquids first or just really small meals? I haven't been able to ask my mother in law I don't want to upset her anymore then she is.

Answer: Hopefully he will be able to eat normal food eventually, but with that radical of operation he may never again eat normally. He most likely will have to deal with problems like dumping syndrome, early satiety (get full quickly), diarrhea etc. I wouldn't worry to much about his diet at this point. Most likely there will be a lot of teaching done prior to him leaving the hospital.

Question: has there ever been a successful pancreas transplant surgery. if so what are the complications? my friend has stage 2 cancer of the pancreas

Answer: I don't know the answer, but I certainly hope the answer is yes! They can transplant nearly everything else. Sorry for your friend. Hope it turns out all right!

Question: Pancreatic cancer surgery question? went to surgeon today with my husband who has pancreatic cnacer..it is in the pancreas and has NOt metastisized. He said this was good and the location is good in tail instead of head( no stomach resectiong etc) but willhave to remove his spleen and portion of pancreas...question being without hours of research on internet( which i will do anyway but i like fast answers!) is survival rate longevity POST this surgery???????? Appreciate your input. thanks

Answer: Well, first, parts of this sound very positive. As I'm sure your onc told you, most pancreatic cancer is metastatic when diagnosed. And it's also good that there's no planned resectioning. However, it's hard to give a guess on survival. Having researched this thoroughly myself about a year ago, this is what I can tell you: You will be amazed at the discrepancies in survival stats. So if the first source states 5 percent, do not freak out! There's a lot of problems gathering survival data, and by definition it's outdated as soon as it appears. Also, there's some details you didn't mention that may impact it. The other thing to remember is carefully authenticate what you're reading. This can be easier said than done, because there are many "cancer.com" type places out there that don't know what they're talking about. Even large orgs, like the American Cancer Society, can make mistakes if it's just a general item written by a webmaster. I'd start with NIH and well known cancer centers like MD Anderson, Sloan Kettering, Johns Hopkins etc and keep looking. Try to only read data presented by professionals whose name and title are clearly visible. Good luck!

Question: Can you live without a pancreas? My best friend has been told she has cancer of the pancreas. She is having surgery tomorrow to see if she will be able to have more surgery later. Can the pancreas be removed or can part of it be removed. I would like some answers please because I'm worried about her.

Answer: Nope

Question: had colon cancer surgery in 2004, had chemo followup because of one microscopic cancer cell in surrounding? lymph system that surgeon removed...have had two normal colonoscopies and two normal catscans, but last catscan and petscan indicate 3mm growths of some kind in 3 different areas of my lymph system. Nothing so far in organs such as pancreas, liver, etc...doctor wants me to go back on chemotherapy...i am 66 and in pretty good health otherwise, has anybody here had similar experience? either yourself or relative, friend?, can you share your experience, whether success or failure to eliminate cancer cells in lymph system??? thank you very much..

Answer: i hate to be a bearer of bad news,..once it hits the lymphatic system it is carried to all parts of the body. and prognosis is grim. see what others say, but deeply research this for your self.

Question: My mother is 72 years old.She had obstructive jaundice.She underwent a byepass surgery to remove block in gall My mother is 72 years old.She had obstructive jaundice.She underwent a byepass surgery to remove block in gall bladder.Now , she has cancer in pancreas.Is it advisable to give cancer injection or let her to live as long as she lives.If given injection,what would be the outcomes?Whether she can withstand it?

Answer: I think it would really depend on how your mother feels about things and about life in general. Some people want to fight and others just don't have the energy for it. I would first find out what stage of cancer she is in, there are different levels of severity. Do you mean chemotherapy when you say cancer injection? Your best bet would really be to talk to the physician treating her. Based upon her history and current status, plus her own wishes, he can recommend what might be best. Chemo is tough on everybody and it batters the immune system which will leave her open to infection. Only the doctor can really advise whether she is strong enough to survive it.

Question: What is the size of a surgery incisions for a Pancreas biliary bypass it was a programed surgery not an emerge? I have had a Pancreas biliary bypass and I would like to know that it is a normal size to have a scar of 40cm across from right to left under my ribs and 5 drain punctions?It is not cancer. I was put in a normal surgery ward,not going to the ICU because there was no bed available @ the time, I had a lacerated spleen,.....I have many questions about the my complicated recovery.

Answer: 20cm

Question: You know how Patrick Swayze has cancer of the Pancreas...Very sad situation...He is undergoing Chemotherapy.? (i read on the internet)..Have you heard of any surgery that will be in the future or is that it??? I have heard Pancreatic cancer is still fairly rare...

Answer: The stats for acquiring Pancreatic cancer is 1 in 79 people, the same for men and women so its not as rare as some would think. Several studies have shown that removing only part of the cancer does not help patients to live longer. Pancreatic cancer surgery is one of the most difficult operations a surgeon can do. It is also one of hardest for patients to undergo. There may be complications and it may take several weeks for patients to recover. Patients need to weigh the potential benefits and risks of such surgery carefully. Patrick Swayze is in treatment with chemo.

Question: I have a close relative diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas (and liver) due to growths found...? ...when she went to the emergency room the other day due to passing out temporarily. They say the images show a 5.4 x 3.3 cm. "mass" (and two smaller two "low attenuation legions" in the liver). I've talked to doctors but I'm still confused. Does a growth or mass mean it's necessarily cancerous. Can it be a non cancerous growth? I guess I want to know what makes a growth harmful or cancerous versus non-cancerous or are all growths cancerous? I'm pretty confused I know. Is there a use for the CA-19 test at this point? She doesn't want surgery and the doctors don't want to do non-surgical things like radiation or chemotherapy. Would anything but surgery work? Maybe there's another place more appropriate for this question?

Answer: A growth or mass does not in itself mean it is cancer. People often have these in their bodies and never know it and they never hurt them. What is important is how they look. Cancer has distinct characteristics and is determined by the radiologist. Low attenuation means weakened areas. These types of lesions in the liver are consistent with metastatic disease. CA-19-9 is often used to help diagnose and help determine response to treatment in patients with pancreatic cancer, but it is not specific to this disease. It would be a standard test to be run in this situation. With most cancers removing the tumor is the first plan of action. Leaving a single cancer cell behind will allow the cancer to spread, so you can see leaving an entire tumor in the body is not a good idea. However, only 5-20% of pancreatic cancer patients have resectable disease. This is not a simple surgery and I would only want a surgeon very experienced in the procedure doing one on me. It sounds like all of this just happened and I know sometimes it is difficult to absorb it all at once. However, it sounds like you haven’t realized the severity of your relative’s illness yet. Pancreatic cancer has a very poor prognosis. Less than 20% respond to chemo and using radiation with these patients does increase the survival time, but you should know even if your relative is among this 20% her disease is not curable. I’m very sorry. It’s okay to tell her doctor’s you don’t understand them and ask they speak to you in plain English. Sometimes they need reminders and some doctors are better at it than others. It’s important that you both understand them. Oncologists are usually better at this than most, as they are used to spending a lot of time explaining things to family members. I wish I could give you better news and I hope I did not appear harsh, I don’t mean to be. I know how hard this is for you. Best wishes to you both.

Question: Can high levels of CA 19-9 in the blood be caused by something other than pancreatic cancer? My mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer about 9 months ago and underwent the Whipple surgery to remove the tumor, along with most of her pancreas. She underwent chemotherapy and radiation therapy and seemed to react well to both (several CT scans have indicated no signs of tumors elsewhere in her body). However, about 2-3 weeks ago, she began experiencing a constant pain in her abdomen, which has persisted. She's gone to a few different doctors, and they can't exactly figure out what it might be - they think maybe just a pulled muscle. However, she went to her oncologist last week and found out that her CA 19-9 level shot way up. Is there something else, besides the cancer and that could be related to her stomach pain that may be causing this?

Answer: Pancreatic cancer is one of the most horrible of cancers...it is quick growing and very hard on a person due to it affects the digestion of foods...and anorexia and nausea sometimes goes hand in hand with it...this is what I found online...can't find my lab book, but maybe at the library or a bookstore (with medical books) ...look for a lab results book..ask the oncologist what it means too... What does the test result mean? Low amounts of CA 19-9 can be detected in a certain percentage of healthy people, and many conditions that affect the liver or pancreas can cause temporary elevations. Moderate to high levels are found in pancreatic cancer, other cancers, and in several other diseases and conditions. The highest levels of CA 19-9 are seen in excretory ductal pancreatic cancer -- cancer that is found in the pancreas tissues that produce food-digesting enzymes and in the ducts that carry those enzymes into the small intestine. This tissue is where 95% of pancreatic cancers are found. Serial measurements of CA 19-9 may be useful during and following treatment because rising or falling levels may give your doctor important information about whether the treatment is working, whether all of the cancer was removed successfully during surgery, and whether the cancer is likely returning. http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/ca19_9/test.html#what

Question: Cancer question: Is this the end for him? I know someone who is 66 years-old and in the past 2 years he's had quadruple heart bypass surgery, then they found out he had bladder cancer and they removed his pancreas (he now wears a catheter bag) and one of his kidneys was in poor shape. Now they just found out that he has testicular cancer. Additionally, he never had radiation or chemo and he still eats horribly. I don't know how much more this poor man can take. What do you think his outlook is?

Answer: You never know - Some people can take a licken' and keep on ticken'

Question: Pancreatic Cancer? Does anyone know anything about the surgery for pancreatic cancer that removes part of your pancreas, stomach, and liver? What is the recovery like?

Answer: Check out this link, it has some useful information on Pancreatic Cancer, in particular treatments / surgeries. See treatments near the end of the page. Has useful videos, descriptions, and questions/answers others have asked. http://www.medicalcrunch.com/conditions/Pancreatic_Cancer.htm Listed Surgeries 1. Distal Pancreatectomy http://www.medicalcrunch.com/treatments/Distal_Pancreatectomy.htm 2. Total Pancretectomy http://www.medicalcrunch.com/treatments/Total_Pancreatectomy.htm 3. Whipple Precedure ( Pancretonducodenectomy ) http://www.medicalcrunch.com/treatments/Whipple_Procedure_(Pancreatoducodenectomy).htm