Pancreatic cancer is a very tough condition to diagnose, as the cancer spreads pretty severely before symptoms set in. Because many people aren’t fortunate enough to get an early diagnosis, current estimates suggest that only about six percent of people with the condition are alive five years after diagnosis.

Treating pancreatic cancer has continued to be problematic for doctors and surgeons, but there is one procedure that has shown to be moderately effective. This is known as the Whipple procedure, and the five-year survival rate of a person who undergoes a successful Whipple surgery is up to 25 percent, which although still low, is more than 400 percent better than the six percent survival rate we mentioned above. Today, we take a closer look at the Whipple procedure for pancreatic cancer.

Whipple Surgery For Pancreatic Cancer

Named after Dr. Allen Whipple who was the first American to perform the operation, the Whipple procedure involves the removal of the “head” (wide part) of the pancreas next to the duodenum. The operation also involves the removal of the duodenum, a portion of the bile duct, the gallbladder and sometimes part of the stomach. Once all the tissues and organs have been removed, the surgeon reconnects the remaining intestine, bile duct and pancreas.

As you can imagine, the Whipple procedure is a very intricate operation that takes several hours to perform. Although it can increase your five-year life expectancy, there’s a chance the operation itself can be fatal. Up until the 1970’s, up to 25 percent of patients died during the operation or shortly after. Medical advances have come a long way in the last 40-plus years, and although we’ve reduced the short-term death rate to about 4 percent, that’s still a high number when you consider the stakes. The American Cancer Society recommends finding a hospital that performs at least 15 to 20 such operations a year, as those hospitals have reduced the short-term death rates to one or two percent.

Eligibility, Complications and Recovery

The procedure may sound like a potential avenue for anyone who has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but unfortunately only about 20 percent of pancreatic cancer patients are eligible for the Whipple procedure. If the cancer has spread to nearby blood vessels or other organs, the procedure will not ultimately be successful. If you are deemed eligible, the procedure may be performed using either a minimally-invasive approach (laparoscopic surgery), or an invasive approach (open surgery). Like most operations, the laparoscopic procedure is preferred as it results in a quicker recovery and a decreased likelihood of complications.

Potential complications both during and after the procedure include:

• Infections
• Bleeding
• Leakage
• Digestion problems after meals

Recovering after a Whipple procedure is a slow process. Patients are usually hospitalized for a week before being allowed to return home. They’ll usually be prescribed painkillers or given OTC medications to control pain. A patient who has undergone a Whipple procedure for pancreatic cancer will need to slowly increase their food intake, and they may also need supplemental enzymes and even chemotherapy in order to have the best outcomes after surgery.