Pancreas Resection

Pancreatic Fistula: If the stitches on the pancreas do not heal properly, it is possible for the pancreatic juice to leak. While leakage typically stops on its own, some people may need further intervention or surgery.

Delayed gastric emptying: Removal of part of the stomach sometimes affects the normal motility and results in delayed passage of fluids and food into the small intestines. It typically resolves on its own, but some cases require assisted feeding through a tube or parenteral nutrition.

Bleeding: Bleeding is expected during the operation and is dealt with by the surgeon.

If it continues after the operation you may be given a blood transfusion, may require further intervention or return to the operating theatre.

Wound infection: This slows down the wound healing. Infections are treated promptly with antibiotics and dressings.

Nutritional malabsorption: Decreased production of pancreatic enzymes in some people can make it diffcult to absorb nutrients from food. This can lead to diarrhea and other gastrointestinal diffculties.

Diabetes: If a significant portion of the pancreas is removed, there is a chance this may result in you becoming diabetic. If this happens you may need to take regular insulin injections or medications to regulate the blood sugar levels.

Weight loss: People may lose 5-10 percent of their total body weight due to problems eating in the weeks following surgery.

Overwhelming post-splenectomy infection (OPSI): If your spleen is removed, there is a small risk of infection by certain bacteria. This risk will be minimized by vaccinations given to you about 2 weeks before the surgery.

Others: Other possible problems are similar to those seen with other major surgeries. These include blood clots, injury to other organs, urinary tract and lung infections. Precautions will be taken by the surgeons to minimise these complications e.g. prophylactic antibiotics, calf compressors etc.

The usual hospitalization period is between 7 – 10 days if no complications develop during the hospitalization. Time to feeding depends on the clinical condition.

You may opt out of the surgery. If left untreated, the possible complications include persistent pain and disease progression.

There are other treatments possible for pancreatic cancer but they are not curative in nature:

Chemotherapy - Pancreatic cancer may respond to chemotherapy to a certain extent.

Clinical Trials – Clinical trials test new drugs, surgical techniques and strategies. There may be suitable clinical trials available for selected patients. Please consult your specialist for advice.

Combination of various treatment options may be ordered as well to optimise the treatment results