From an interview with
Dr. John Richey
Pee Dee Surgical Group

The pancreas is a vital organ that lies in the upper abdomen, behind your stomach. It works closely with the liver and ducts that carry bile. The pancreas releases (secretes) enzymes that help you digest food, especially fats and protein. The pancreas also secretes hormones that help manage your blood sugar.

If you are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, your doctor may recommend you have a Whipple procedure. The goal of this surgery in treating cancer is to remove the tumor and prevent it from growing and spreading to other organs. This is the only treatment that can lead to prolonged survival and cure for most pancreatic tumors. McLeod Surgeon Dr. John Richey tells us more.

“Advancements in pancreatic surgery over the past several decades really involve trying to minimize incision size and using the new technologies that we have. For certain pancreatic surgeries, we can use the robot, which allows us to complete a surgery with just four or five small incisions, rather than using the traditional procedure, which would typically involve a large up and down incision or one underneath your ribs, across your belly. 

Surgical options in the treatment of pancreatic cancer really depend on the location in the pancreas of the tumor, if there is a tumor there. If there is a tumor in the body or tail of the pancreas, that usually involves a distal pancreatectomy, which can be performed robotically or in an open fashion with a bigger incision, depending on how involved it is. The surgery, if the area of concern is in the head of the pancreas, involves a more significant surgery called a Whipple procedure.

The Whipple surgery is a very extensive abdominal surgery. Typically, it can take anywhere from five to eight hours. We do Whipple surgeries for a couple of different reasons, but usually it’s either for cancer of the pancreas or if you have chronic pancreatitis that’s caused significant damage or is causing significant ongoing pain, and we think removing that could help with that pain. I’ve had a lot of patients that have been very happy with the ability to stay in the Florence area to have the surgery.”

To learn more, speak with a surgeon near you.