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How to treat advanced pancreatic cancer?

Dr N Ananthakrishnan
Head of Department of Surgery,
JIPMER, Pondicherry

Q: A lump has developed on the head of pancreas and after doing sonography and MRI, doctors are suspecting cancer and suggesting an operation for making a byepass for bile to save the patient from severe jaundice in the near future. Kindly suggest if surgery is advisable or not.

A:If the lump has been confirmed to be cancer of the pancreas and the doctors feel that it is too advanced to be removed, a surgical bypass to relieve the jaundice is definitely an option. Sometimes this bypass can be done by the endoscopic route depending on individual circumstances. You must consult a gastroenterologist to find out whether this possible.