Pancreatic cancer

Surgery is the only treatment that can cure early-stage pancreatic cancer. If the tumour hasn’t spread and it’s in a suitable position, surgery may be offered to remove the part of the pancreas affected.

Your surgeon will explain the type of operation recommended for you.

Read more about pancreatic cancer surgery

Chemotherapy is often used when surgery is not possible. It can help to shrink the cancer, control or improve your symptoms and give you a better quality of life. Your specialist nurse will give you a list of the chemotherapy drugs you will receive and explain the side-effects. 

Read more about chemotherapy.

These drugs only target the cancer cells. This means that they usually have fewer side-effects than chemotherapy. They work by blocking the signals that tell cancer cells to divide and grow. Your medical team will discuss with you if there is a targeted therapy suitable to treat pancreatic cancer. 

Read more about targeted therapies.

This uses high-energy rays to kill the cancer cells. It can be given before surgery to shrink the tumour or after surgery to kill any cancer cells left behind to prevent the cancer coming back. Sometimes you have chemotherapy and radiotherapy together. 

With advanced cancer, radiotherapy can also help to ease pain or pressure. This is called palliative radiotherapy.

Read more about radiotherapy.