Your treatment options will vary based on the stage of your cancer.
If you’ve been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, you may feel overwhelmed and eager to get started on treatment. But first, it’s important to understand your options, which will depend on the stage of your cancer — whether it’s localized or has spread to other parts of the body.
“Once we have a diagnosis of cancer, then we move to ‘staging’ — a series of tests where we determine how advanced the cancer is,” said Dr. Marcus C. Tan, a surgical oncologist at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. “The results of those staging tests determine what we do after that.”
Understanding Pancreatic Cancer
Understanding the goals of treatment for pancreatic cancer
The goals of pancreatic cancer treatment depend on the stage of the disease and your overall health. For some patients, the goal is to cure the cancer. When a cure isn’t possible, treatment may focus on shrinking or controlling the cancer for as long as possible while managing symptoms to improve quality of life.
Treatment goals may include:
- Removing or shrinking the cancer in the pancreas.
- Managing tumors in other parts of the body.
- Stopping or slowing the growth and spread of cancer cells.
- Preventing the cancer from coming back.
- Relieving symptoms, such as pain or digestive issues, caused by the cancer.
Treatment options for pancreatic cancer
Treatment for pancreatic cancer typically begins with determining whether the tumor can be surgically removed (resected). This depends on factors such as the tumor’s size, location and involvement with nearby blood vessels or other organs.
Surgery: Surgery (along with chemotherapy either before or after surgery) offers the best chance of curing pancreatic cancer for patients whose tumors haven’t spread to other parts of the body. The most common surgical procedure is the Whipple procedure, or pancreaticoduodenectomy, which involves removing the head of the pancreas along with parts of the stomach, small intestine and bile duct. For cancers in the body or tail of the pancreas, the operation used is called a distal pancreatectomy.
“The success of surgery largely depends on whether the tumor has invaded nearby blood vessels,” Tan said. “If the blood vessels are involved, chemotherapy is often recommended first to shrink the tumor and improve surgical outcomes.”
Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is a cornerstone of treatment, especially for metastatic pancreatic cancer. It involves the use of drugs to kill cancer cells, slow their growth or shrink tumors to make them operable. For some patients, a combination of chemotherapy drugs is used to enhance effectiveness.
Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy may be used before surgery to shrink tumors, after surgery to destroy any remaining cancer cells or as an alternative to surgery. Ablative radiation therapy, a newer, specialized type of radiation treatment delivers high doses of radiation to inoperable tumors, providing a treatment option for patients who can’t undergo surgery.
Ablative radiation minimizes damage to surrounding healthy tissues and organs, which is particularly important for pancreatic cancer due to its proximity to critical blood vessels and organs such as the liver, stomach and intestines.
Intraoperative radiation therapy: Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) is a specialized treatment in which radiation is delivered directly to the tumor site during surgery. This allows for higher doses of radiation while minimizing exposure to surrounding healthy tissues. IORT can be particularly beneficial for patients with tumors that are close to critical blood vessels or difficult to remove completely.
“This approach highlights the importance of multidisciplinary teamwork,” Tan said, “where surgeons and radiation oncologists collaborate in real time to optimize outcomes for complex pancreatic cancer cases.”
Targeted therapy and immunotherapy: Advances in targeted therapies, which block specific molecules involved in cancer growth, and immunotherapies, which help the immune system fight cancer, are showing promise in treating pancreatic cancer.
Palliative care: For advanced cases where curative treatment isn’t possible, palliative care focuses on managing symptoms like pain, jaundice or digestive issues to improve quality of life.
How to choose a center for pancreatic cancer treatment
Pancreatic cancer is a challenging disease, and where you go for care matters. When choosing a cancer center for your treatment or seeking a second opinion, consider one that offers:
- Multidisciplinary expertise. A leading cancer center brings together specialists from multiple areas — surgical oncology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, gastroenterology and palliative care — to collaborate on a personalized treatment plan.
- Experience with pancreatic surgery. Centers with high volumes of pancreatic surgeries consistently achieve better outcomes. These centers offer minimally invasive approaches, such as robotic surgery, which reduce recovery times and post-surgical discomfort, as well as round-the-clock support services to help manage any complications from surgery. “The experience of the surgeon and the center really matters when it comes to pancreatic cancer,” Tan said. “High-volume centers are better equipped to handle the complexities of pancreatic surgery, which ultimately improves patient outcomes.”
- Access to advanced treatments. Look for a center offering innovative therapies, including IORT, ablative radiation and participation in clinical trials. Access to emerging treatments can make a meaningful difference in pancreatic cancer outcomes.
- Comprehensive support services. A patient-centered approach should include resources like nutrition counseling, pain management and emotional support to help you and your family navigate the challenges of treatment.
- Clinical trials and research. Top cancer centers are often involved in groundbreaking research and clinical trials aimed at improving early detection and advancing treatment options for pancreatic cancer. Patients can participate in clinical trials, gaining access to therapies that may not be widely available elsewhere.
Personalized Care for Cancer
The experts at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center work to provide a precise diagnosis and effective treatment options for pancreatic cancer. The team combines advanced research, technology and techniques with compassionate care to create a personalized treatment plan that is right for each patient.
