Pancreatic cancer

John Windsor talks about pancreatic cancer. Professor John Windsor is a trained general surgeon who has had further fellowship training in hepato-biliary and pancreatic, gastro-oesophageal and laparoscopic surgery. He works at Auckland City Hospital and the University of Auckland. Privately he works at Mercy Hospital in Auckland and specialises in pancreatic, bilary, gastric and oesophageal surgery.

Topics

Survival rates
Risk factors
How patients usually present
Common differentials
What investigations to order
What to think about when the patient comes back from the surgeon
Omega3 fatty acid
Prognosis
Are there any preventative strategies?

Take home messages

Pancreatic cancer remains a very challenging disease, still waiting for the key breakthroughs.
There are subgroups of patients that we can really help.
Supportive care is required for all patients and early referral is key for this complex disease.