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Treatments


Each new patient is presented at a multidisciplinary team conference of our pancreatic cancer experts. Your team of specialists will review all of your test results to recommend a personalized treatment plan. Your plan may include a combination of the following treatment options:

  • Surgery

    Surgical options are based on your specific case, and could include:

    • Whipple Procedure: The Whipple is the common surgery to remove cancer of the exocrine pancreas and the first section of the small intestine. It is formally known as pancreaticoduodenectomy.
    • Distal Pancreatectomy: The tail of the pancreas and the spleen are removed using small incisions.
    • Total pancreatectomy: During this procedure, your doctor removes the entire pancreas, gallbladder, spleen, and part of the stomach and small intestine. 
    • Palliative Pancreatic Surgery: This surgery may be recommended if imaging tests show the cancer is too widespread to be removed completely. These procedures include bypass and stent operations to help relieve pain and to allow you to eat more easily.
    • NanoKnife®  (Irreversible Electroporation - IRE): Sylvester is the first provider in Florida and one of only a handful in the world to provide this effective treatment for selected primary tumors considered inoperable. NanoKnife surgery is an advanced radiation therapy procedure occurring under computed tomography (CT) scan or ultrasound guidance. Done under general anesthesia, the procedure produces very little pain or side effects and requires only a brief hospital stay.

  • Radiation Therapy

    In this therapy, your doctor safely aims radiation at the cancer cells with pinpoint accuracy. The goal is to eliminate or shrink a tumor, either alone or in combination with surgery and/or chemotherapy. It can be delivered as external radiation from outside the body, or internally, with the radiation source implanted in the tumor.

  • Immunotherapy

    Also called biologic therapy, this type of therapy uses your own immune system to attack cancer cells. Your Sylvester oncologist will advise you if an immunotherapy clinical trial may be appropriate for your cancer.

  • Chemotherapy

    For chemotherapy, drugs are administered intravenously or by oral pill to kill cancer cells and/or to stop their growth. Chemotherapy also might be recommended before a surgery, to help reduce the size of the tumor.

    • If you need intravenous (infusion) chemotherapy, you can have it at the Comprehensive Treatment Unit (CTU) at Sylvester's main location in Miami, a 12,000-square-foot hospital that includes 33 recliners and 11 private rooms. If you prefer, you may have your infusion treatments at the Kendall, Plantation, Hollywood, Coral Springs, Coral Gables, and Deerfield Beach locations.
    • Cold cap therapy to minimize hair loss: Sylvester offers FDA-cleared cold cap therapy to minimize your hair loss during your chemotherapy treatments. Cold cap therapy works by cooling your scalp during treatment.