What is the surgical treatment of pancreatic cancer?

The Whipple: The whipple aka the pancreaticoduodenectomy is the surgical removal of a pancreatic tumor at the head of the pancreas along with excision and reconstruction of part of the duodenum.

Resection: There are basically two types of surgery for pancreatic cancer: as mentioned, tumors in the head of the pancreas are removed by resection of the head of the pancreas, duodenum, and distal bile duct (the whipple); tumors in the body and tail are removed by distal pancreatectomy, often with splenectomy. All pancreatic resections should be performed at high volume centers by high volume surgeons.

Depends on location : Some tumors of the body and tail can be managed by distal pancreatectomy. Those in the head usually require pancreaticoduodenectomy or whipple procedure. Occasionally a total pancreatectomy is required for tumors that spread along the pancreatic duct. Adequate lymph node removal is needed and rarely portions of adjacent organs are resected.