Pancreatic Cancer Treatment

To defeat pancreatic cancer the participation of highly specialized physicians is required. “Herzliya Medical Center” Private Hospital offers its patients the opportunity to undergo diagnosis and treatment with the supervision of leading Israeli oncologists and Oncology surgeons.
Recent developments, modern equipment and the invaluable experience of doctors – all this allows fighting pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic Cancer

This disease is characterized by the proliferation of cancer cells in the pancreatic tissue. This type of cancer is considered one of the most intractable and, at the moment leads the list of cancers of the highest mortality rates.
It is vital to know the symptoms of the disease and to pay attention to changes in the body.

Pancreatic cancer symptoms

The first thing that one must be alert to is depression, causeless apathy and fatigue, loss of appetite and as a result, weight loss.
Cancer can manifest itself in back pain and abdominal pain, yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes. In addition, the patient begins to have digestive problems: diarrhea, vomiting and so on.
At later stages of the disease, the patient may have elevated blood sugar, which leads to the development of diabetes.
Sometimes doctors successfully diagnose diabetes and treat it accordingly, but failing to realize at the same time the fact that it is a symptom of a more serious illness. Timely diagnosis at an early stage of pancreatic cancer – is the only way to fight the disease successfully. It is important that the examination is conducted with modern equipment under the supervision of qualified professionals.

Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis

This hospital has all the facilities one needs for accurate diagnosis at the highest level. HMC boasts cutting-edge equipment to diagnose pancreatic cancer even at early stages and start treatment immediately.
The diagnostic program for patients with suspected pancreatic cancer consists of a series of tests and inspections.
Initial consultations with an oncologist are conducted to collect the history of the patient and carry out a thorough examination. Upon examining the patient, the doctor focuses on the abdominal area, as well as the lymph nodes.
Laboratory tests are conducted: blood tests deployed, including a panel of tumor markers, thyroid hormones, and others.
CT (computed tomography) or PET CT (positron emission tomography) and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) are performed to precisely determine the location and size of the tumor, as well as to detect metastases. A biopsy by laparoscopic mini-surgery is conducted; this method allows the doctor to study the tumor and learn about all other necessary information.

It is important to note that the more accurate the pancreatic cancer diagnosis is, the more opportunities there are to choose an effective treatment.

Pancreatic cancer treatment in Israel

At Herzliya Medical Center Private Hospital, patients from all over the world come for pancreatic cancer treatment in Israel after they’ve given up hope to be cured. Israeli experts are not accustomed to giving up! Experienced doctors and clinical equipment gives a chance for a successful outcome in the struggle with pancreatic cancer. Surgical interventions in pancreatic cancer are classified into two categories: curative and palliative.

Most curative surgery is designed to treat cancers at the head of the pancreas because these cancers are near the bile duct, some of them cause jaundice and are found early enough to be removed. The complex surgery is called the Whipple operation.

Whipple operation

The operation is performed if the tumor has not spread beyond the pancreas. It is a partial or complete resection of the pancreas (pancreatectomy), partial resection of the stomach and small intestine, removal of the gallbladder and bile duct, with a lymph node dissection. For the reconstruction of the gastrointestinal tract and digestive function recovery the surgeon imposes anastomosis – forms an artificial channel connecting the stomach to the small intestine. Another anastomosis used for admission into the intestine bile is necessary for the digestive process. Whipple’s operations are among the most complex procedures in surgery. Its success is directly dependent on the experience and skills of the surgeon.

When the tumor is in the tail of the pancreas a distal pancreatectomy is performed, a resection of the tail and the central department of the pancreas – and splenectomy (removal of the spleen).

Palliative operations are performed in the later stages of the disease when radical removal of the cancerous tumor is not feasible. Their mission is to restore patency of the gastrointestinal tract (e.g., bile duct or duodenum) exposed due to the obstruction caused by tumor growth. For this purpose, stent implantation is performed; a device that supports the duct wall in the open state – or the formation of connecting anastomosis, enveloping the duodenum.

Surgical treatment combined with chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

In the case where the cancer cells have spread to other organs, it is possible to conduct surgical palliative therapy to relieve symptoms and eliminate some problems that arise in the body with tumor growth.

Chemotherapy – the conservative treatment of pancreatic cancer; may be assigned in conjunction with the operation, and apart from it. The oncologist may assign patients to other treatments, such as radio-or immunotherapy.

Herzliya Medical Center Private Hospital offers patients to undergo treatment for pancreatic cancer in Israel under the supervision of experts. Doctors working in the hospital have the ability to conduct surveys of any complexity thanks to modern techniques and constantly evolving technology. Here we boast successful results in pancreatic cancer surgery due to its experienced surgeons who operate on patients with pancreatic cancer, at least 20 Whipple procedures per year. The outcomes of pancreatic cancer depend on the surgeon performing the operation. Treating pancreatic tumor cancer abroad, at Herzliya medical Center may save your life.