The Importance of a Qualified and Knowledgeable Pancreatic Surgeon
Hearing that something is wrong with you medical wise can be difficult and stress inducing. You probably have a lot of questions based around the treatment of your health concern and wonder who you should ask these questions to. You are probably worried about the outcome of your medical condition and if you will need any surgeries or any medical procedures. Who do you trust to complete these medical procedures and to provide you with the necessary information and diagnosis? A pancreatic surgeon is a specialist in pancreatic surgery and is the expert in diagnosing and preforming surgery on the liver and pancreas.
When a patient is eligible for pancreatic or liver surgery, they are generally awaiting a transplant. They may receive a transplant quickly from a matched family member, or they may be placed onto the transplant list for a donated liver or pancreas. Not everyone is eligible for pancreas surgery. The percentage of patients who can now be considered for liver resection has jumped to almost 30%. In recent years, better survival rates for patients with primary or metastatic liver cancer have been reported. Those whose livers or pancreases are in too bad of shape, or those who have not abstained from drinking or drug usage will also not be eligible for a liver transplant.
It is important to meet with your potential pancreatic surgeon to ask any necessary questions. You should have the ability to speak directly with your liver surgeon, and not through staff members. You should have the ability to gain information and meet them directly. Although the survival rates of pancreatic or liver cancer are low, the rates increase when the liver transplant is successful. This can greatly extend the life of successful time. A pancreatic surgeon will run tests to figure out how likely the body will be to take the liver transplant.
The amount of time between the detection of the liver problems and the beginning of symptoms will also play into the survival and liver transplant success rate. If the pancreatic cancer is detected at an early state when surgical removal of the tumor is possible, the 5 year survival rate is about 26%. If the cancer has spread to the surrounding organs or tissue (regional spread), the 5 year survival rate is 10%. If the cancer has spread to parts of the body far away from the pancreas (distant spread), the 5 year survival rate is 2%. Overall, only between 15 out of 100 people (15%) and 25 out of 100 people (25%) survive for 5 years or more after surgery to remove liver cancer (liver resection). But in people who have cancers that are less than 3cm across, more than 50 out of 100 (50%) will survive for more than 5 years. However, unfortunately only a small proportion of people with liver cancer are able to have surgery.
A lot goes into the possibility of having liver and pancreas surgery, and a lot of factors are involved in the success rates of surgery. These are reasons why it is so important to have an experienced and qualified pancreatic surgeon on your case.
Any negative medical news is stressful and emotional. When it requires surgery and low survival rates, it can become even scarier. It is important to have a pancreatic surgeon who is knowledgeable and experience in this specific type of surgery. They will have the ability to provide the patient with information and survival rates to inform them of their upcoming medical procedure and surgery.
