What does the pancreas do?
Located deep in the abdomen between the stomach and spine, the pancreas is a flat, leaf-shaped gland. Glands are organs that secrete chemicals the body needs to function.
The pancreas is divided into three parts: a wide end called the head, a thin end called the tail, and a middle portion called the body.
The pancreas makes insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar. When the body does not produce insulin, blood sugar levels (blood glucose) can become dangerously high.
Types Of Pancreas
- Potentially curative surgery is used when the results of exams and tests suggest that it’s possible to remove (resect) all the cancer.
- Palliative surgery may be done if tests show that the cancer is too widespread to be removed completely. This surgery is done to relieve symptoms or to prevent certain complications like a blocked bile duct or intestine, but the goal is not to cure the cancer.