Irving, TX, April 21, 2019 – Staging helps to describe the location of cancer, if it has metastasized and how it is affecting the other parts of the body.Doctors use several systems when staging pancreatic cancer. The most commonly used method divides it into four categories based on whether it can be treated surgically and where cancer has spread. There are various stage descriptions for the different cancer types, and doctors use various systems to stage pancreatic cancer.

“Knowing the stage of pancreatic cancer will help doctors to decide the best treatment that can help in predicting the patient’s prognosis,” said Dr.Echt. “It is good for patients to undergo the necessary tests from specialists to determine the stage and help doctors to administer the right treatment.”

Here are four stages of pancreatic cancer that are commonly used by oncologists:

• Resectable stage – This is pancreatic cancer that is still within the pancreas and can be treated with surgery. The tumor’s location in the pancreas will determine the type of surgery a patient will have. The Whipple procedure is commonly used in cancers that are located in the head of the pancreas.

• Borderline resectable stage – In this category, the tumor has spread to nearby lymph nodes or blood vessels but not to other body organs. It may not be possible to be surgically removed at diagnosis, but radiation or chemotherapy (neoadjuvant therapy) can be used to shrink the tumor first before surgery is conducted with negative margins.

• Locally advanced – This is a tumor that has grown to nearby veins, arteries or nearby organs. It cannot be treated with surgery because there's a high risk of damaging the surrounding organs. Chemotherapy and radiation are standard treatments for this stage of pancreatic cancer. Clinical trials may also be recommended.

• Metastatic stage – It is when the tumor has spread beyond the pancreas to other organs such as the lungs, liver or abdominal walls and distant lymph nodes. This type of pancreatic cancer is unresectable. Metastatic pancreatic cancer is treated with chemotherapy and clinical trials.

“Classifying each tumor helps the healthcare team to plan a treatment strategy that is best suited for the patient," continued Dr.Echt. “Treatment for pancreatic cancer varies from patient to patient, according to the location of the tumor in the pancreas, and the stage of cancer."

About The Sandler-Kenner Foundation

The Sandler-Kenner Foundation, established in 2007 as the Las Colinas Cancer Center Foundation, was renamed in early 2011 in the memory of Michael Sandler and Peter Kenner, both of whom passed away from pancreatic cancer, a lethal disease that is difficult to diagnose until it has reached an advanced stage.

Visit them at https://helpfightpancreaticcancer.org/facts-about-pancreatic-cancer/treatment-drugs-for-pancreatic-cancer/ to know more.