If the tumor is in the head of the pancreas, then the right half of the pancreas and part of the stomach and small intestine will be removed.

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Figure 2 Surgical removal of pancreatic tumor

This operation is called a pancreaticoduodenectomy. It was first described in 1935 by Dr. A.O. Whipple. (The operation is often called the Whipple procedure). Surgeons at M.D. Anderson do this operation routinely every week. While complex and long (six to eight hours), it is done safely and results are dramatically better than those achieved by surgical pioneers such as Dr. Whipple.

M. D. Anderson has advanced the Whipple operation so that the tumor can be removed, even if veins near the pancreas are involved with cancer. The doctor would have to run a high-tech dynamic CT scan to determine if this is possible in each patient's case. Visit the "Types of Surgery for Pancreatic Cancer" page for more details, under the Diagnosis and Treatment heading.

If you would like to talk with patients who have had pancreaticoduodenectomy, a member of your health care team will give you names and phone numbers of men and women happy to talk with you. Mutual patient support is a valuable resource. At M. D. Anderson, the Anderson Network can link you with other patients to share experiences one-to-one.

After surgery, patients stay in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) for one to two days, and remain in the hospital for about to 8-10 days. Patients who do not live in the Houston area may need to stay locally for one or more weeks after discharge from the hospital. Patients usually need one month of recovery at home before they can return to their normal activities.

If a tumor is diagnosed by a needle biopsy, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are often given before surgery. If surgery is done first, then these treatments usually begin about four to eight weeks after surgery. It is uncommon for surgery alone to be the only treatment for pancreatic cancer.

Low doses of chemotherapy may be given with radiation therapy to make the cancer cells more sensitive to the radiation. Radiation therapy is given once daily (Monday through Friday) for two to five weeks. Chemotherapy is given intravenously. The schedule depends on the particular drug given.