The pancreaticoduodenectomy, more commonly known as the Whipple procedure after the surgeon who first developed the operation, is the most commonly used operation for attempting to remove cancer present in the pancreas.

In the Whipple procedure, the head of the pancreas is removed. In some case, the body of the pancreas will be removed as well. The Whipple procedure also removes:

• part of the stomach;
• the entire duodenum, which is the first section of the small intestine;
• a small part of the jejunum, the second section of the small intestine;
• and the lymph nodes near the pancreas.

In addition, the gallbladder and part of the common bile duct are removed. The remaining bile duct is attached to the small intestine so that bile produced in the liver can continue to enter the small intestine to aid in the process of digestion.

The Whipple procedure is a complicated operation which can be difficult for surgeons to perform successfully and therefore requires a great deal of skill and experience.

The greatest area of concern is regarding the nature of the pancreas, which releases enzymes in its pancreatic juice that help to digest food and can therefore digest human tissue. If these pancreatic enzymes leak out after surgery, the pancreas might start to digest itself, along with any other nearby tissues in the body cavity.

The Whipple procedure is a major operation that carries a relatively high risk of complications, complications so great that they can prove to be fatal.

When the Whipple procedure is performed in cancer centers by surgeons experienced in this type of surgery, approximately 2% to 5% of patients die as a direct result of complications from surgery.

When the procedure is done in small hospitals or by doctors with less experience, up to 15% of patients may die as a result of post-surgical complications.

Even in the hands of the most skilled surgeons, about 30% to 50% of patients will suffer complications from the surgery. These complications include:

• leaking from the various connections that the surgeon has to make
• infections
• bleeding
• trouble with the stomach emptying itself after eating

Pancreatic cancer is relatively symptomless until it is in its advanced stages. For this reason, only about 10% of cancers of the pancreas appear to be contained entirely within the pancreas at the time the cancer is diagnosed.

Attempts to remove the entire cancer by surgery may be successful in some of these patients. However, even if there appears to be no cancer spreading beyond the pancreas at the time of the pancreas being removed, it is possible for cancer cells to have already spread throughout the body.

The current 5-year rate of survival even after pancreatic cancer surgery is only about 20%.

Therefore, prevention of cancer of the pancreas is key. So is early detection of any form of cancer. Therefore, a person should see the doctor if any gastrointestinal symptoms appear and last for more than a couple of days.