Pancreas 6mm cyst

A Whipple surgery is a major operation where doctors remove the part of the pancreas that has cancer, along with nearby organs like the first part of the small intestine, the gallbladder, and part of the bile duct.
After removing these, they carefully reconnect everything so food, bile, and digestive enzymes can still flow normally.
It’s the main surgery used to try to remove pancreatic cancer and offer the best chance for longer survival. Recovery takes time, and many people need enzyme supplements afterward to help with digestion, but many are able to return to a good quality of life.

The Whipple surgery is a complex operation used to treat pancreatic cancer when the tumor can be removed. It involves taking out the head of the pancreas, part of the small intestine, the bile duct, and sometimes part of the stomach, then reconnecting everything so digestion can continue.

While it is a major surgery, when it is done at an experienced, high-volume center by a specialized surgeon, it can significantly extend life and, in some cases, offer the best chance for long-term survival.

Choosing the right institution and surgical team is very important with this procedure.

Dr. Evens in Wi is one of the best surfing in US also Dr. Trudy in Rochester at Mayo is a also one.

@mcharlesfrancis My older brother had the Whipple done 15 yrs. ago. He's 83 now with no cancer recurrence.

@56pan Great God Bless him

@mcharlesfrancis can a patient have a second whipple?

@56pan That is great! Can you tell us what stage it was, and did he also have chemotherapy?

It's, at least to me, an interesting and very rare story on pancreatic ductal cell cancer. But it will take some space for the setup. Brother Frank was an airline mech. at STL. On his day off, he was sitting in his sunroom and saw a branch at the top of a maple tree in his backyard that made it look like it'd had a bad haircut. He had drank two 24 ounce beers at the time and decided he was going to get his bowsaw, climb the tree, and cut the offending branch. Got just about to the top and slipped. Hit several branches on the way down, and was knocked out for a few seconds when he hit the ground. Woke up, did a systems check, and nothing broken and no bad damage. Went to work the next day and started feeling very bad. Went home early. Went to work the next morning and at mid morning, the guys on the job told him his skin was getting yellow. So, he went to the ER and was feeling very bad at this time. They did an MRI and found a small cyst/tumor whatever had blocked the duct from his pancreas. Did a biopsy and it was ductal cell pancreatic cancer. Set him up for the Whipple the next day, the doc removed the small tumor about the size of a pea and found no evidence at all in his insides of any metastases. The doc said he'd never caught pancreatic cancer at that early stage before and his idea was that when he fell out of that tree, it caused the tumor to shift and block the duct. I was talking to him on the phone a couple days later and heard all this. I said,"Frank, reach around to the back of your head and feel for that lump. That's where God thumped you out of that tree."

While a "second Whipple" is not possible because the specific organs targeted (the head of the pancreas and duodenum) are already removed during the first surgery, patients can undergo repeat surgical resections or additional pancreatic surgeries if the cancer recurs.
Mayo Clinic

@56pan great story, thank you for sharing. That was his miracle! Hoping he realizes it , moves forward and never sweats the small things! Sees the beauty in the world we have been given and lives life “cup half full”. 😊