Surgical treatment of pancreatic cancer

The main treatments for pancreatic cancer include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and interventional therapy. Relatively speaking, surgical treatment is more effective because it directly removes the lesion and the prognosis is better.

There are also three types of surgical treatment for pancreatic cancer, which are described below:

1. Radical treatment

Depending on the location of the tumor, it can be roughly divided into pancreaticoduodenectomy, pancreatectomy and total pancreatectomy. Generally speaking, pancreatic surgery is a relatively large operation, which requires high technical level and experience of the surgeon, as well as pre- and post-operative treatment. If possible, it should be performed in a hospital with a large number of pancreatic surgeries.

2. Pancreatic cancer surgery combined with vascular resection

In the past, it was believed that tumor invasion of the portal vein and superior mesenteric vein was a contraindication to surgical resection, resulting in a low surgical resection rate. In recent years, with the strengthening of preoperative and postoperative management and the improvement of surgical techniques, this situation is no longer a contraindication to surgical resection, and the goal of complete tumor resection can be achieved through vascular resection and reconstruction. The surgical treatment effect of these patients is the same as that of patients without vascular involvement.

3. Surgical treatment of unresectable pancreatic cancer

For patients who are not suitable for radical surgical resection due to tumors or physical reasons, appropriate surgical intervention may have a significant effect on prolonging the patient's survival and improving the quality of life. In this case, common surgical intervention measures include gastrointestinal anastomosis and choledochojejunostomy. It should be emphasized that with the development of medicine, the application of duct stent technology is becoming more and more widespread, and the number of patients who undergo palliative choledochojejunostomy due to biliary obstruction alone has decreased significantly.