Why not just get a pancreas transplant and get rid of the diseased one?
“Why not just get a pancreas transplant and get rid of the diseased one?”
It’s a silent cancer. By the time you get any symptoms it has already spread.
A friend had a pancreas transplant but it was for diabetes. He’s doing very well no more diabetes!
“Why not just get a pancreas transplant and get rid of the diseased one?”
According to John Hopkins, the long-term outlook for people who receive a pancreas transplant is quite good. People who receive simultaneous kidney-pancreas transplants also tend to have less chance of rejection. A positive long-term result depends on a number of factors including control of blood glucose. But this surgery is used for type I diabetes treatment not cancer.
A pancreas transplant would likely not cure the cancer even with a transplant. If a cancerous tumor is discovered within the pancreas before it spreads to other organs, only the portion of the pancreas containing the tumor is removed via Whipple Surgery. Most often the cancer has spread beyond the pancreas before it is diagnosed.
Even if pancreas transplantation was an option for pancreatic cancer, which it isn’t according to Dr. Daniel Von Hoff one of the world’s foremost oncologist, medical researcher and cancer scientist, the patient would have to take anti-rejection medication which would suppress the immune system. When the immune system is weakened, cancer cells would likely grow and spread at a more rapid pace. And because of the normal late discovery of pancreatic cancer due to the few tests and determinations available, the cancer is normally outside the pancreas and has spread to other tissue in the body. The suppression of the immune system is an open door to further spreading of the disease at an accelerated rate with nothing for the body to fight it with.
rwood
If there is awaiting list 86 year olds shouldn’t be on it.
If you could do that, Type I diabetics would be very happy.
Pancreas is the ONE organ that can not be operated on no such thing as a pancreas transplant!!! Steve Jobs would have certainly had one if at all possible!!!