Standard Treatment for Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer originates in the pancreas, which is an organ that lies behind the stomach. The pancreas is responsible for helping with digestion and regulating sugar metabolism. The treatment for pancreatic cancer depends upon the stage, spread, type and location of the cancer.

Surgical Treatment

• Surgery is conducted on patients whose cancer is localized. Approximately 15 to 20 percent of pancreatic cancer patients meet the criteria for surgery, according to Pancreatica.org.

Radiation

• External (uses a machine outside of the body) and internal (an invasive procedure using medical instruments such as needles and catheters) radiation therapy is used to kill cancer cells or prohibit their growth. The radiation takes the form of x-rays or radioactive substances depending on the stage and type of cancer.

Chemotherapy

• Chemotherapy, taken orally or intravenously, is a drug used to stop the pancreatic cancer cells from dividing or to kill the cancer cells. Chemotherapy can be used in conjunction with surgery and radiation therapy.

Biologic Therapy

• Biologic therapy, also referred to as biotherapy or immunotherapy, uses a patient's immune system to fight pancreatic cancer. Monoclonal antibodies, vaccines and growth factors that have a known anti-tumor effect are used in biotherapy to restore the natural defenses to fight against cancer. By using these treatment methods, the immune system may learn to recognize cancer cells and destroy them.

New Treatments

• There are several emerging treatments that are being examined through clinical trials such as targeted drug therapy (drugs that target specific cancer cell abnormalities), angiogenesis inhibitors (drugs that may prevent the cancer from growing new blood vessels) and pancreatic cancer vaccines.