Surgery:
The two main kinds of surgery used on Pancreatic cancer are curative surgery and palliative surgery. Curative surgery is usually used if the tumor is still in the beginning stages, and there is a high possibility that the entire tumor could be removed. Palliative surgery is performed if the cancer is in the advanced stages, and is usually only used to subdue the symptoms of the cancer.
Curative surgery is mostly used only to destroy tumors which are located at the head of the pancreas, but there are 3 other methods also performed in certain cases:
Pancreaticduodenectomy: This procedure is used to remove the entire pancreas. During the process, it will also remove a section of the stomach, and a portion of the small intestine (including the entire duodenum).
This procedure is extremely difficult, and an eye-popping 15 percent of all patients that undergo this treatment by unexperienced doctors die from it. Thankfully, only about 10 percent of all Pancreatic cancers need to have the pancreas completely removed.
Distal pancreatectomy: This operation is usually performed upon patients with islet cell tumors. Only the tail of the pancreas is removed. The spleen may also be removed.
Total pancreatectomy: As the name states, this procedure removes the entire pancreas, along with the spleen.
Palliative surgery, as stated before, only relieves symptoms or unblocks certain areas, such as the bile duct. One method to unblock the bile duct is to create an alternative route for the bile to pass through, without contacting the pancreas at all. This procedure will require up to weeks to recover from, but sometimes it is worth that cost, as during the operation the surgeon might be able to destroy the nerve cells leading to the pancreas, thus reducing or perhaps completely eliminating the pain of the cancer.
The other method is to insert a tube down the patients throat and into the small intestine. Then, the doctor inserts a stent into the intestine, which will keep the bile duct open. The bad thing is, the stent will probably have to be replaced every now and then, as it will eventually get clogged.
Radiation therapy:
This type of treatment consists of using x-rays to destroy the affected cells. It can be used with chemotherapy, which usually makes radiation therapy more effective.
The most commonly used method of radiation therapy in Pancreatic cancer treatment is external beam radiation therapy. This procedure uses a machine located from outside the body to create x-rays. Patients normally recieve 5 treatments a day for up to several months.
Another procedure is intraoperative electron beam radiation therapy. Instead of x-rays, this type of operation uses electrons to kill the cancer cells. This form of therapy hasn't been proven to increase a patients life expectancy, however.
Side effects of radiation therapy are: Skin mutations in which the skin darkens, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and fatigue. The side effects should go away shortly after treatment is over.
Chemotherapy:
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. It is most effective when used against metastasized cancers, or in combination with radiation therapy.
Just recently, gemcitabine was proven as the most effective drug in usage versus metastatic staged cancers. 5-fluorouracil is the runner-up most devastating drug. Both of them have about the same effect upon tumors in the beginning stages.
Chemotherapy is dangerous because it will usually destroy many healthy cells as well as infected cells. A few side effects of chemotherapy might be nausea, loss of hair, mouth sores, and vomiting. As with radiation, the side effects will go away after treatment is over.