Dr. Barzi on Surgical Advances in Pancreatic Cancer

Afsaneh Barzi, MD, assistant professor of clinical medicine, USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses surgical advances in the treatment of patients with pancreatic cancer.

Surgery has gotten more aggressive over time, especially when it comes to vascular repair, says Barzi. Surgery as a whole should only be done in high volume centers, adds Barzi. The pylorus preserving Whipple procedure is a relatively new approach to surgery compared with the old standard Whipple procedure. More surgeons are trying to do this in select patients, as it shows better patient tolerability in terms of their diet as well as less gastrointestinal symptoms.

Laparoscopic pancreatectomy is a less invasive surgical approach, adds Barzi, which may help speed up the time of recovery and subsequent adjuvant therapy. Though this procedure is not appropriate for every patient, it can be effective in select populations. Improvements in imaging have also changed how physicians select the patients who are appropriate for surgery, says Barzi.