A pear-shaped gland, the pancreas is about 6 inches long and located between the stomach and the spine. It makes juices that help you digest food, and regulate hormones (such as insulin and glucagon) that control blood sugar levels, helping the body use and store energy from food. The most common pancreatic cancer is called pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, or PDAC. It begins in exocrine cells (those that produce digestive juices).
Why Choose Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center?
Survival rates up to 14 percent higher than national averages for early- and late-stage pancreatic cancer. More precise diagnosis and treatment for your exact cancer, the best possible outcomes, and the least potential negative side effects.
One of few Pancreatic Cancer Research Institutes in the United States. Increased availability of leading-edge treatments and additional resources for patients and families.
Advanced radiation oncology tools. Shorter treatment times, pinpoint accuracy in tumor targeting, and less damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Sylvester is one of only five medical centers in U.S. with ViewRay — MRI-guided radiation therapy; and our RapidArc radiotherapy system delivers intensity modulated external radiation therapy (IMRT).
More cancer clinical trials than any other South Florida hospital. Ease of access. If appropriate for your cancer and stage, our clinical trials provide you with the very newest ways to treat and potentially cure your cancer.
Only designated Cancer Center of Excellence in South Florida, and one of only 11 prospective payment system (PPS)-exempt dedicated cancer hospitals in America. We treat cancer and only cancer. And that means better patient outcomes over traditional hospitals and non-comprehensive cancer treatment providers. The likelihood of a patient surviving cancer after five years at a Dedicated Cancer Center is 17 percent higher than at other hospitals.
Multidisciplinary care teams. Collaboration that saves lives. Your care team is made up of experts in your exact type of cancer, and every single aspect of it.
First provider in Florida to provide Nanoknife (irreversible electroporation / IRE) radiosurgery for previously inoperable tumors. More options for difficult tumors. Performed under general anesthesia, our procedure produces very little pain, requires only a brief hospital stay (usually overnight) and tends to cause fewer side effects.
One of only a few sites in the U.S. to offer a landmark precision medicine clinical trial. Precision medicine defines your cancer by the genes driving it, rather than solely its location and stage. That means your cancer will get a specific therapy based on its gene characteristics.