Pancreatic Cancer Treatment in Israel

Pancreas carcinomas can develop in either glandular epithelium tissue or in pancreatic ducts. This type of cancer usually affects older patients and is more common in men than in women. While it is one of the rarest digestive tract malignancies, pancreatic cancer is considered especially treacherous as its symptoms are often unspecific and not well pronounced, which means that it is often not discovered until it has metastasized.

The disease's most common symptoms are:

• Back pains
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Jaundice (appears in cases of invasion into or compression of the bile ducts by the tumour)
• Nausea/vomiting
• Acid reflux

It is a highly aggressive tumour, which is why immediate workup and treatment are required when carcinoma of the pancreas is suspected.

Please find below our pancreatic cancer treatment in Israel program.

Treatment Program

• Full blood workup (including CBC, CMP, coagulation factors, electrolyte levels, lipid profile, tumour markers, digestive enzymes and HbA1c)
• Abdominal Ultrasound with Doppler
• Abdominal MRI scan
• PET-CT scan to rule out metastases
• Abdominal surgical oncologist's exam
• Gastro-oncologist's exam

The aforementioned procedures take approximately 4 to 5 business days to complete. The work up takes place at Assuta Hospital in Tel Aviv.

If the investigation confirms the presence of a tumour, and the disease is limited to the pancreas and regional lymph nodes, the treatment of choice is surgery. If the tumour is localized in the head of the pancreas a Whipple procedure is indicated.

Alternatively, if the disease is found to have spread beyond the regional lymph nodes into other organs and/or the omentum, the treatment of choice is chemotherapy. As treatment protocol depends on the type of tumour, a pancreas head biopsy will be necessary. It will be performed by an expert gastroenterologist under EUS guidance. The obtained material will be then sent for express histopathological and histochemical studies. Results will be ready within 72 hours. An additional gastro-oncologist consultation will take place once they  have been received.

Pancreatic Cancer Surgery

Price of surgery will include the following:

• Preoperative care: Routine preoperative preparation including an ECG, chest X-ray and an anesthesiologist consultation
• Laparoscopic investigation under US guidance to determine the exact area of resection
• Whipple operation and 10 days of hospitalization at a semi-private room at Assuta Hospital.
• Express pathological study (to evaluate resection borders)
• Disposable surgical materials (staplers, harmonic scalpels and bioadhesive)

It is advised you remain in Israel for approximately 12 days following your discharge from the hospital for outpatient follow-up and care.