Pancreatectomy is surgery to remove part or all of your pancreas. It's usually done to treat cancer, and sometimes, severe chronic pancreatitis. Removing part or all of your pancreas can have lifelong consequences for your digestive system. You may need to take insulin and digestive enzymes from now on.
According to a small study published in the International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association journal, a team of researchers found the overall survival rate of people who received a total pancreatectomy to be 80 percent one year after surgery, 72 percent two years after surgery and 65 percent three years after surgery ...
It's possible to live without a pancreas. But when the entire pancreas is removed, people are left without the cells that make insulin and other hormones that help maintain safe blood sugar levels. These people develop diabetes, which can be hard to manage because they are totally dependent on insulin shots.
Total Pancreatectomy
Because the entire pancreas is removed, the patient becomes an insulin-dependent diabetic for life. For this reason, the procedure is only used when disease has spread so extensively throughout the pancreas that healthy tissue cannot be preserved.
Life without pancreas requires careful medical monitoring and life-long treatment. There are no long-term studies on patients who have no pancreas left, but from experience patients go on to have normal life expectancy with careful medical supervision.
Pancreatic surgery is major surgery and as with any major operation there are some risks (see below).
There are several reasons we would consider removing a patient's pancreas, including hereditary pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN), and cancer. Pancreatitis is a condition in which the pancreas becomes inflamed.
Sometimes the surgeon may start the operation, but find that they can't remove the cancer. This may happen because: the cancer has spread to your liver or the lining of your abdomen (tummy area) the cancer has grown into or around the blood vessels near the pancreas which means that it can't be removed.
There is no doubt that the Whipple procedure is a painful operation. This is largely due to the extent of the organs being removed or rearranged and the proximity of the pancreas to nerves as they exit the spine at the back of the abdomen during the operation.
In severe cases, pancreatitis can be life-threatening. If you have severe abdominal (tummy) pain that lasts for more than 20 minutes, call your doctor or visit the emergency department of your local hospital. Pancreatitis can be either acute (sudden onset) or chronic (ongoing and longer-term).
RESULTS. In total, 64 patients were identified as having neoplastic pancreatic cysts from 1994 to 2003 at the five institutions. The median overall patient survival time was 86 months. The median age at diagnosis for the patient population was 73 years, with 40 patients being women.
Prognosis in chronic pancreatitis
The overall 10-year and 20-year survival rates are estimated to be about 70% and 45%, respectively. For some people, a diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis can mean a lifetime of pain and gastrointestinal symptoms.
Chronic pancreatitis can affect people of any age, but is most common in middle-aged men aged between 45 and 54.
Some growths in the pancreas are simply benign (not cancer), while others might become cancer over time if left untreated (known as precancers).
Potentially Curable If Caught Very Early
Up to 10 percent of patients who receive an early diagnosis become disease-free after treatment. For patients who are diagnosed before the tumor grows much or spreads, the average pancreatic cancer survival time is 3 to 3.5 years.
You'll have long-term complications after a total pancreatectomy or after any pancreatectomy that removes enough of your pancreas to impact its functionality. You may also have complications from the loss of other organs that need to be removed during your pancreatectomy.
Your pancreas does not make adequate amounts of the enzymes that your body needs to break down starches, proteins, fats…and even some vitamins from foods you eat. You may lose weight, have abnormal stools, and have pain in your belly.
Side effects of surgery
More complex procedures, such as a total pancreatectomy, may also have more complications than less extensive forms of pancreatic cancer treatment. After pancreatic cancer surgery, you may experience diarrhea, constipation and/or appetite loss while your stomach regains its function.
The procedure takes 4-12 hours. Recovery in the hospital can last 7-14 days. Healing at home takes about 2 weeks. You can return to normal life after 4-6 weeks.
Surgery is usually used to treat pancreatic cancer. The type of surgery you have depends mainly on the size and location of the tumour, whether the cancer has spread and if the doctor thinks the tumour can be completely removed. Surgery may be done for different reasons.
Blood tests to look for elevated levels of pancreatic enzymes, along with white blood cells, kidney function and liver enzymes. Abdominal ultrasound to look for gallstones and pancreas inflammation. Computerized tomography (CT) scan to look for gallstones and assess the extent of pancreas inflammation.
The blood test measures levels of pancreatic enzymes in your blood — either amylase or lipase. If your enzyme levels are three times higher than normal, that indicates pancreatitis. Your healthcare providers will follow up on these results with an imaging test to confirm the diagnosis and isolate the cause. Stool test.