Mayo Clinic has extensive experience treating patients who have pancreatic cancer. In April 2002, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine reported that patients benefited from being treated at centers with high volumes of patients. Mortality related to surgery was four times greater at a center seeing low volumes (fewer than 16 patients per year) than at a high-volume site. Mayo Clinic surgeons perform more than 350 of these procedures annually.
Mayo Clinic physicians bring a multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of pancreatic cancer. The care team includes specialists from gastroenterology, radiation oncology, medical oncology and general surgery. Experienced surgeons can remove and rebuild the portal vein for patients whose cancer involves that portion of the pancreas. Mayo patients also have the opportunity to participate in clinical trials of experimental therapies.
In addition, Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., ranked No. 1 among U.S. hospitals in the specialty of digestive disorders in the 2006 U.S. News Best Hospitals ranking.
Mayo Clinic uses various tools to determine the type of pancreatic tumor involved. These tools include ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), biopsy and laparoscopy. Read more about pancreatic cancer diagnosis.
Physicians at Mayo Clinic offer the latest techniques in surgery, radiation and chemotherapy treatment for pancreatic cancer. Operations include the Whipple resection, distal pancreatectomy, total pancreatectomy and portal vein surgery. Read more about pancreatic cancer treatment.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most serious and deadliest cancers. It develops when malignant cells form in the tissues of your pancreas — a large organ that lies horizontally behind the lower part of your stomach.
Read more at
www.MayoClinic.com
A service of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
A Fateful Fall: Pancreatic cancer patient beating the odds.
Read Steve's story.
See all patient stories related to Pancreatic Cancer.
Read all patient stories.
See all news.
Learn about genetic research and clinical trials. Read more.