Staging
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Description
- “Carcinoma in situ”. The tumor is in the top layers of the pancreatic duct cells. No spread to the deeper tissues of the pancreas nor to other locations in the body.
Treatment
- Surgery to remove the tumor.
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Description
- The tumor is entirely contained within the pancreas and no larger than 2 centimeters in diameter. No spread of the cancer to lymph nodes or other areas in the body.
Treatment
- Surgery to remove the tumor. The patient may be given chemotherapy or chemoradiation before and/or after surgery to increase the chances of a successful operation.
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Description
- The tumor is entirely contained within the pancreas, but has grown over 2 centimeters in diameter. No spread of the cancer to lymph nodes or other areas in the body.
Treatment
- Surgery to remove the tumor. The patient may be given chemotherapy or chemoradiation before and/or after surgery to increase the chances of a successful operation.
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Description
- The tumor has grown outside the pancreas and is larger than 4 cm, but has not entered any large blood vessels, lymph nodes, or other body parts.
Treatment
- Surgery to remove the tumor. The patient may be given chemotherapy or chemoradiation before and/or after surgery to increase the chances of a successful operation.
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Description
- The tumor can be any size and it has metastasis in 1-3 regional lymph nodes. There is no distant metastasis.
Treatment
- Surgery to remove the tumor. The patient may be given chemotherapy or chemoradiation before and/or after surgery to increase the chances of a successful operation.
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Description
- Tumor can be any size and it has metastasis in four or more regional lymph nodes. The tumor may or may not be involved in celiac axis, superior mesenteric artery, and/or common hepatic artery. There is no distant metastasis.
Treatment
- Chemotherapy and/or chemoradiation. Palliative surgery is an option for relieving symptoms. The doctor may eventually be able to perform surgery to remove the tumor if these treatments shrink the tumor enough.
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Description
- The cancer has spread to distant organs or other parts of the body. This is known as metastatic pancreatic cancer. Common sites of metastatic pancreatic cancer spread are the liver, lungs, and peritoneum, the membrane that lines your abdominal cavity.
Treatment
- Chemotherapy, targeted therapy, clinical trials, palliative treatments.
