Other treatment options:
Although surgery is the only curative option for pancreatic cancer, chemotherapy has a significant role in therapy. Chemotherapy can be used either before or after surgery or in cases of irresectability. Chemotherapy is given before surgery can shrink the tumor or displace it away from vital structures, making it respectable. Giving chemotherapy after surgery ensures that any metastases -a few cancerous cells that move by blood to other parts in the body- are eliminated. Chemotherapy can be palliative to reduce tumor size and complications.
Surgery is not always curative, too, and it can be palliative to reduce tumor size or to destroy a part of the nervous system called a celiac ganglion, which carries sensation from the pancreas. It is the last resort in pain relief. Other options for pain relief and palliation include using strong analgesics.
Patients who suffer from jaundice and are not eligible for curative surgery can undergo a procedure called stent placement. An endoscopy is done similar to ERCP, but a metallic stent is placed to permanently widen the bile duct and allow the bile to flow.