The very first course of action that a medical practitioner will explore is the option of surgery for those affected with pancreatic cancer. This would involve the removal of complete or part of the pancreas based on where the tumor is and how big it is. In these surgical options, it is quite common to also remove a certain amount of healthy tissues surrounding the affected region to get clean margins on cancer.

This is because the doctors do not want any residue of the cancer cells to be present in the body and end up triggering another cancer. According to statistics, about 20% of the patients who are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer end up having surgery because it is already too late by the time diagnosis is done.

Surgery is just one of the many options and can be done in combination with other forms of treatment for pancreatic cancer including radiation or systemic therapy. This additional treatment would be required to add to the effect of treatment post-surgery, or before surgery to shrink the tumor. Whether adjuvant or neoadjuvant treatment is prescribed, surgery has a good chance of dealing with cancer in the early stages. Different types of surgical treatment for pancreatic cancer include:

1. Laparoscopy
This form of surgery makes small holes into the abdomen and uses a camera to study the tumor and the adjoining areas that are affected. The patient is given anesthesia during this procedure to block the pain for the surgeon to be able to study cancer from various angles and determine the extent of spread of the disease. The primary tumor would not be generally removed if the spread is quite extensive.

2. Tumor removal
There are quite a few types of surgery that are used to remove the tumor based on the region of the pancreas that it is present in. In addition to the tumor, any affected lymph nodes are also removed in the procedure to ensure that cancer-affected cells are completely removed. Types of surgery used are as follows:

• A Whipple procedure would be performed if the tumor is at the head of the pancreas. This is an extensive surgery as the removal will include the head of the pancreas, a portion of the small intestine (the duodenum), a portion of the stomach, and the bile duct. In the procedure, the biliary system would be looped with the digestive tract.
• A distal pancreatectomy would be done if the tumor is at the pancreas’ tail and this will include the removal of the affected portion along with the spleen. However, if the entire pancreas has been affected then total pancreatectomy would be needed along with removing all the affected parts to get a clean margin.

The time for recovery varies from person to person but one will need to be admitted in the hospital for at least a couple of days, sometimes even up to a month.