Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer
Surgery is recommended for pancreatic cancer. Unfortunately, most patients are not candidates for surgery because of the advanced stage of disease when diagnosed.
If surgery to remove the entire cancer is not possible, bypass procedures will relieve the jaundice and itching associated with pancreatic cancer and do much to improve the patient's quality of life.
Radiotherapy may be considered if surgery is not possible, to relieve pain and occasionally jaundice. Radiotherapy may also be given after surgery to try and prevent cancer recurrence. Radiotherapy focuses high energy rays onto the cancer in the pancreas. Daily treatments over 2 to 5 weeks are associated with nausea and vomiting, and redness of the skin.
Chemotherapy is used either to make radiotherapy more effective, i.e. as a radiosensitiser, or when the cancer is very advanced and surgery and radiotherapy are not being considered at all. Chemotherapy may prolong a patient's life by a few months. More importantly, chemotherapy has been shown to relieve pain in some patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.
Prognosis of Pancreatic Cancer
Clinical examinations, x-rays and pathology reports all help the medical team decide what the progress of an individual case of pancreatic cancer may be. Then, the appropriate course of treatment will be put into action. The treatment strategy will vary from person to person. With prompt and appropriate treatment, the outlook for a person with pancreatic cancer is fair.
Even with surgery, about half of patients survive between 2 to 3 years. The chance of surviving to 5 years after curative surgery is about 20%.
Patients with advanced inoperable pancreatic cancer do not normally survive beyond a year.
Frequently Asked Questions about Pancreatic Cancer
My father has pancreatic cancer.
He has a lot of abdominal pain. What can be done?
Pain control is a very important part of the treatment of advanced pancreatic
cancer. Besides oral painkillers, such as NSAIDs (Ponstan™, Synflex™
and others from the same family of medicines) and opioids, such as codeine and
morphine, injections to deaden the nerve causing the pain can be given, i.e.
nerve block. Other measures include radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
My mother is extremely jaundiced
from her pancreatic cancer. Is it dangerous?
The jaundice in itself is not life threatening. The jaundice is a result of
the pancreatic ducts being blocked by the cancer. With the blockage, infection
of the pancreas is more common and may require antibiotics. The jaundice is
also associated with moderate to severe itching of the skin. Oral medications
or bypass of the blockage, either with surgery or during ERCP
may relieve problematic itching.