How to evaluate whether pancreatic cancer patients are suitable for surgical treatment

Surgical treatment is undoubtedly the best choice for pancreatic cancer patients, because surgical treatment means a better prognosis, but not all patients can undergo surgical treatment. Generally, patients with early pancreatic cancer can undergo surgical treatment, but for patients in the middle and late stages, better evaluation is needed.

First of all, it should be clear that the premise of surgical treatment is that pancreatic cancer has not metastasized to distant sites. If distant metastasis occurs, surgery is of little significance. The following are the situations in which patients with advanced pancreatic cancer can undergo surgery:

1. For pancreatic cancer invading blood vessels, we should first determine which blood vessel is invaded. Generally speaking, it is the portal vein. If the invasion range of the portal vein is within 7 cm, radical resection can usually be performed, provided that the patient can generally tolerate the surgery.

2. For tumors located in the tail of the pancreas, the pancreatic body and tail can be simply removed;

3. For pancreatic head cancer with a higher degree of malignancy, pancreaticoduodenectomy or total pancreatectomy can be performed according to the patient's specific circumstances.

4. Invasion of the portal vein or superior mesenteric venous system is also a common condition in pancreatic cancer. In the past, it was believed that such patients could not undergo surgery. Now, with the development of medical technology, combined vascular resection is no longer a contraindication for pancreatic cancer surgery.

5. Although most pancreatic cancers cannot be radically removed when diagnosed, many patients can reduce pain and prolong life through palliative surgery, such as biliary drainage, gastric drainage, etc., combined with chemotherapy, nutritional support and other comprehensive treatments.