Leading expert in gastrointestinal cancer surgery, Dr. Martin Schilling, MD, explains how quality of life for pancreatic cancer patients depends on local tumor control. He details why complete resection of the primary pancreatic tumor is critical, even when distant metastases are present. Dr. Martin Schilling, MD, discusses the multidisciplinary approach to treatment and the evolving surgical strategies for advanced disease. A medical second opinion is vital for confirming a stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis and exploring all treatment options.
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Optimizing Quality of Life in Pancreatic Cancer Through Local Tumor Control
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- Importance of Local Control in Pancreatic Cancer
- Surgical Strategies for Advanced Pancreatic Cancer
- Multidisciplinary Treatment Approach
- Liver Metastases Resection in Different Cancers
- Role of a Medical Second Opinion
- Full Transcript
Importance of Local Control in Pancreatic Cancer
Dr. Martin Schilling, MD, emphasizes that the quality of life for pancreatic cancer patients is dominated by local problems caused by the primary tumor. An untreated pancreatic tumor can cause severe pain and obstruct critical structures in the abdomen. These structures include the bile ducts, stomach, and duodenum. Effective local control through surgery directly addresses these debilitating symptoms.
Surgical Strategies for Advanced Pancreatic Cancer
Dr. Martin Schilling, MD, discusses an evolving treatment strategy for stage 4 pancreatic cancer. The approach involves resecting the primary pancreatic tumor to achieve local control, even in the presence of a limited number of metastases. This surgical intervention is performed to alleviate the local complications that severely impact a patient's daily life. Dr. Anton Titov, MD, and Dr. Schilling note that this represents a shift in thinking about surgical candidacy for advanced disease.
Multidisciplinary Treatment Approach
Pancreatic cancer is a complex disease that requires a team-based strategy. Dr. Martin Schilling, MD, explains that treatment often involves chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. These modalities can be used before surgery (neoadjuvant therapy) or after surgery (adjuvant therapy). The decision on the best sequence of treatments is made collaboratively by a team of specialists to provide comprehensive care for each patient.
Liver Metastases Resection in Different Cancers
The benefit of resecting liver metastases varies significantly depending on the primary cancer type. Dr. Martin Schilling, MD, confirms that resection is highly effective for metastatic colorectal cancer. He also notes published results showing benefit for liver metastases from gynecological cancers like uterine and ovarian cancer. However, the value of liver resection for metastases from pancreatic cancer or esophageal cancer is not yet well-established and remains a subject of clinical research.
Role of a Medical Second Opinion
Seeking a medical second opinion is a critical step for patients diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer. Dr. Anton Titov, MD, highlights that a second opinion helps confirm the cancer's stage and diagnosis. It also ensures that all potential treatment avenues, including complex liver metastasis surgery, are thoroughly explored. Consulting with a leading expert provides confidence that the chosen treatment plan is the best available option.
Full Transcript
Leading gastrointestinal cancer surgeon discusses the importance of a good local resection of pancreatic cancer tumor. Distant metastases in pancreatic cancer may be present, but good local control of the primary pancreatic tumor has a large influence on the quality of life of patients with pancreatic cancer.
Pancreatic cancer quality of life depends on local control of the tumor. Resection of the pancreatic cancer tumor is important even if metastases are present in other organs.
Quality of life of pancreatic cancer patients depends on problems at the pancreatic tumor site. A complete resection of the pancreatic tumor should be done even in the presence of liver or other organ metastases.
A medical second opinion clarifies stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis and helps to decide if liver metastases surgery is possible in stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Best treatment for advanced stage 4 pancreatic cancer with liver metastatic lesions.
A medical second opinion from a leading expert helps to find the best treatment for stage 4 pancreatic cancer with liver metastases. Get a medical second opinion on advanced pancreatic cancer and be confident that your treatment is the best.
Best pancreatic cancer treatment center for liver metastases. Video interview with a leading surgeon in pancreatic cancer treatment surgery. Pancreatic cancer quality of life depends on local control by surgery.
Dr. Anton Titov, MD: Pancreatic cancer is a very difficult disease to treat by surgery or chemotherapy. You published a cancer research paper that looked into the difference between aggressive pancreatic cancer and less aggressive tumors in the pancreas. Some pancreas tumors are essentially of inflammatory origin. It is very important to distinguish between the two types of pancreas tumors. Could you please discuss your findings of your study? How to differentiate between aggressive pancreatic cancer tumors and less aggressive tumors in the pancreas?
Dr. Martin Schilling, MD: Those were pancreatic tumor biological studies. They are important for the growth of tumor, but for the surgical treatment they are not that relevant.
The problem with pancreatic cancer is that it is often discovered at an advanced stage, just like esophageal cancer. Again, you have to find a multidisciplinary approach to the pancreatic cancer patient. Pancreatic cancer patient might need chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, then a resection of the pancreatic cancer tumor can happen, or if the patient benefits from the primary resection.
Dr. Anton Titov, MD: The decision to operate on pancreatic cancer has been under discussion for the last number of years. We are moving into a new treatment strategy now.
Dr. Martin Schilling, MD: We provide local control of the primary pancreatic cancer tumor; that is, we resect the pancreatic cancer tumor even if pancreatic cancer patients have several metastases.
We learned that the quality of life in pancreatic cancer patients is dominated by local problems. Pancreatic cancer causes major problems in the pancreas, pain, and obstruction of various structures in the abdominal area, such as bile ducts, stomach, or duodenum. We can treat these local problems in primary pancreatic cancer resection. We can do surgery even if the patient has singular metastases, for example, metastases in the liver.
Dr. Anton Titov, MD: We have just talked to Dr. Poston about the liver metastatic disease in colorectal cancer. It is amazing what can be done to treat the metastatic liver disease in cancer.
Dr. Martin Schilling, MD: But that is true mostly for colorectal cancer. Also, in my experience, it is more difficult with other cancers.
We have published the liver resection surgery results for gynecological cancers. These cancers originate from the uterus and ovaries.
Dr. Anton Titov, MD: Uterine cancer and ovarian cancer patients also benefit from liver metastases resection. In pancreatic cancer and esophageal cancer, the benefit from the resection of liver metastases is not understood.
Dr. Martin Schilling, MD: Pancreatic cancer quality of life depends on local control of tumor. Leading pancreatic cancer surgeon on importance of radical surgery in pancreatic cancer.