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A member asked:
When is surgery for pancreatic cancer possible?
11 doctors weighed in across 3 answers
Early stages: When there is no distant metastasis and minimal/ no involvement of major vessels within the region of pancreatic bed.
Answered 9/12/2015
6.4k views
When it can be done: There can't be any evidence of spread of cancer outside the pancreas. Also you have to be able to separate the diseased pancreas from the surrounding blood vessels.
Answered 6/7/2015
5.9k views
Early: The term "resectable" means the surgeon can get around the tumor, and leave the vital blood vessels intact. Unfortunatley for the pancreas, there are vital blood vessels close to these tumors which we cannot divide or disrupt or else we cut off blood supply to organs needed to live. The other reason would be spread (metastatic spread) of the tumor to other organs- mainly the liver.
Answered 4/13/2012
5.9k views
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