How is pancreatic cancer treated?

Surgery

Chemotherapy

Targeted therapies

External radiotherapy

Treatment to relieve symptoms

Will I get side-effects?

Surgery

Surgery aims to remove the part of the pancreas containing the tumour. Surgery can only cure early stage pancreatic cancer. Read more about pancreatic cancer surgery.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is often used when surgery is not possible. It can help to shrink the cancer, control or improve your symptoms and give you a better quality of life. Your specialist nurse will give you a list of the chemotherapy drugs you will receive and explain the side-effects. Read more about chemotherapy.

Targeted therapies

These drugs only target the cancer cells. This means that they usually have fewer side-effects than chemotherapy. They work by blocking the signals that tell cancer cells to divide and grow. Your medical team will discuss with you if there is a targeted therapy suitable to treat pancreatic cancer. Read more about targeted therapies.

External radiotherapy

This uses high-energy rays to kill the cancer cells. It can be given before surgery to shrink the tumour or after surgery to kill any cancer cells left behind to prevent the cancer coming back. Sometimes you have chemotherapy and radiotherapy together.

With advanced cancer, radiotherapy can also help to ease pain or pressure. This is called palliative radiotherapy.

Treatment to relieve symptoms

Pancreatic cancer is often very advanced when it’s diagnosed and treatment will be aimed at shrinking or controlling the cancer and relieving any symptoms, rather than curing it.

Treatments include surgery such as stenting and bypass surgery if the tumour is causing a blockage. Other treatments include, chemotherapy, targeted therapies and / or radiotherapy. You may also have treatment as part of a clinical trial.

We have more information on treatments to help with pancreatic cancer symptoms.