How soon after finishing chemo can someone have Whipple?

Posted by steveron @steveron, Jun 10 2:00pm

Our oncologist said 4-6 weeks are needed between ending chemo and having Whipple, while surgeon said 8 weeks. Both said this time is needed to recover from chemo. Both said there isn't a test to determine when the body is "ready" for surgery, so their waiting times are subjective.

How long did everybody wait between finishing chemo and having Whipple, and how did surgeon determine you were "ready"?

Thanks.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Pancreatic Cancer Support Group.

markymarkfl | @markymarkfl | Jun 10 3:05pm

I think my surgeon wanted 30 days but was content with 28 due to scheduling challenges. All went fine. That was from Folfirinox. I don't know if other chemo drugs come with different washout recommendations. 8 weeks seems excessive, and adding 8 more weeks after surgery before you begin adjuvant chemo is a long time to be completely off a systemic treatment.

I think the underlying answer depends on how fast your blood cell counts recover from the chemo. There may be other criteria, but those are fair questions for your surgeon.