F.A.O Sqad, or anyone else

[yogasun]

Purely out of medical interest...They were discussing pancreatic cancer on the TV the other day and how sufferers have a poor survival rate.
Why is it not possible to remove the pancreas (or maybe most of it) as they remove most of stomach, bowel, a lung, gall bladder, spleen, some of liver, a kidney, the bladder, etc.? Can't they just give insulin and digestive enzymes, etc. or is there some other reason why it is totally indispensable?

[Sqad]

The bottom line is that pancreatic cancer presents with non specific symptoms in many cases and is diagnosed late........setting the patient up for a poor prognosis.

Yes the pancreas and any other organ in the body can be removed.........but the disease cannot always be cured.

[yogasun]

Thanks Sqad - knew someone who died of it so have often wondered.

[rowanwitch]

often has already spead by the time it is diagnosed liver secondaries most common, unfortunately you can't do without your liver

[lillylemon]

my grandmother had pacreatic cancer and one of her treatment options was to have the pancreaas removed but recovery time was long and the success rate quite low as the others have said by the time the ancer is diagnosed, it is quite advanced

[seadogg]

A hill walking pal was active when he first saw the doc but it had already gone too far and he lasted only six weeks.