A 37-year-old member asked:
how long can one survive with the whipple procedure?
3 doctor answers • 6 doctors weighed in

Dr. Geoffrey Tyson answered
Pain Management 39 years experience
That depends: Whipple procedures can be curative for some people undergoing them. I would discuss your specific prognosis with the surgeon who did or is recommending your whipple.
5664 views

Dr. Eric Whitman answered
Surgical Oncology 36 years experience
Lymph node status: Survival after the whipple procedure basically comes down to:
1. No postoperative complications
2. Complete removal of the cancer
3. Ability to maintain adequate nutrition
4. No lymph node involvement by the cancer
if the whipple was done for a non-cancerous tumor, only factors #1 and #3 matter.
5654 views

Dr. Gerard Aranha answered
Surgical Oncology 52 years experience
Depends on the cance: Pancreas cancer-20% 5 year survival
ampullary cancer - 40-90% 5 year survival
duodenal cancer -50-90% 5 year survival
lower bile duct cancer 30-40% 5 year survival.
5568 views
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Similar questions
A 34-year-old member asked:
What happens during a whipple procedure? Why is it done?
5 doctor answers • 10 doctors weighed in

Dr. Pedro Hernandez answered
Geriatrics 40 years experience
Pancreatic surgery: Whipple procedure is to make secretions from the pancreas drain into the digestive tract by surgery. When there is disease in the pancreas ( tumors benign or malignant, strictures, stones etc. )or nearby structures that blocks the pancreatic ducts this fluid full of secretions like Insulin and glucagon and pancreatic enzymes to digest fat cannot come out should come out.
6116 views
A member asked:
Is the pancreaticoduodenectomy a risky thing to do?
2 doctor answers • 5 doctors weighed in

Dr. Arthur Heller answered
Gastroenterology 43 years experience
Major surgery: "whipple procedure" is major reworking of the plumbing, generally done to treat tumors of head of pancreas, neighboring ampulla of vater (entryway of panc and bile duct into small bowel).
This shold be done by a surgeon who does "a lot" of these, in a place where they do "a lot" of these- often a cancer referral center. Can be a lot of perioperative, postoperative complications, longterm problems.
5994 views
A 41-year-old member asked:
Familiar with the whipple procedure pancreaticoduodenectomy?
3 doctor answers • 11 doctors weighed in

Dr. Steven Ginsberg answered
Hematology and Oncology 37 years experience
Yes: This procedure is most commonly done in an attempt to cure pancreatic cancer.
5862 views
A 45-year-old member asked:
What are long term whipple procedure complications?
3 doctor answers • 9 doctors weighed in

Dr. Mark Hoepfner answered
General Surgery 39 years experience
Depends: It depends somewhat on why the surgery was performed. If the pancreas surgery was for cancer, the long term risks are cancer recurrence. If the surgery was for pain from chronic pancreatitis, the long term risk is pain recurrence. Other risks are diabetes, fatty food intolerance, nutritional or dietary changes.
5730 views
A 35-year-old member asked:
What is life like after whipple procedure ?
5 doctor answers • 18 doctors weighed in

Dr. Christopher Oxner answered
Surgical Oncology 18 years experience
Eventually normal: Recovery is slow and can be even slower with complications. Patients who are not diabetic and have normal pancreatic functions maintain normal function postoperatively most of the time. Patients will initially have poor appeptite and lose weight but eventually return to eating a normal diet. Recovery can also be delayed if patients require chemo &/or radiation.
5702 views

Dr. Cosme Manzarbeitia commented
General Surgery 39 years experience
Well put. However, whipple is frequently performed for malignancy, and recurrence is more common than not. So the above applies in general in the absence of tumor recurrence
Aug 9, 2012
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Last updated Oct 3, 2016
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