Additional treatment options
In addition to surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, you may be a candidate for additional state-of-the-art treatment options.
Some additional options for pancreatic cancer treatment at City of Hope include:
Clinical trials
City of Hope offers clinical trials as part of our commitment to bringing our patients new and innovative cancer treatment options, especially for patient with advanced cancer or who may have run out of standard-of-care approaches. The research team at City of Hope carefully identifies and studies new and emerging treatment options that are supported by scientific and investigational research. Your care team will work with you to determine if you qualify for an existing trial and, if so, help you enroll.
Gastroenterology for pancreatic cancer
Our Gastroenterology team addresses disorders of the digestive system, which is an important component for the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer.
As part of the nutrition and metabolic support group, our gastroenterologists work closely with your oncologists, registered dietitians and other members of your care team. Some of the gastrointestinal (GI) procedures for pancreatic cancer include:
- Celiac plexus neurolysis (CPN): This procedure blocks the nerves to the pancreas to help relieve pain.
- Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP): ERCP allows doctors to view the bile ducts in the pancreas to remove samples for biopsy, relieve an obstruction of the bile duct or place a stent into a narrowed duct to keep it open.
- Endoscopic ultrasound: This technology allows our doctors to view high-quality images of the pancreas.
- Fiducial markers: Placing fiducial markers inside a pancreatic tumor prior to radiation therapy allows for more precise targeting of tumors and helps to minimize harm to healthy tissue.
Interventional radiology for pancreatic cancer
At City of Hope interventional radiologists are trained to use image-guided technology such as X-rays, computed tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to place a catheter inside the body and treat patients non-surgically. In some cases, pancreatic cancer becomes advanced and metastasizes (spreads) to the liver. CTCA interventional radiologists are trained to perform procedures that are liver-directed or tumor-directed, including the following:
- SIR-spheres (Y90): This treatment uses tiny beads called microspheres to deliver radiation directly to tumors in the liver. Measuring one-third the diameter of a human hair, the tiny microspheres are embedded with a radioactive element (Y90) to help kill cancer cells. The radiation therapy is delivered to a tumor through a catheter a physician guides into the hepatic artery, the liver’s main blood vessel. Once in place, the microspheres are inserted into the catheter, where they can enter the smaller blood vessels supplying the liver tumor and block the flow of blood. Then, the microspheres emit radiation to destroy cancer cells in the tumor, while sparing healthy liver tissue.
- Chemoembolization: With this treatment, chemotherapy drugs are delivered directly to a liver tumor. This delivery method reduces side effects, like nausea and vomiting, and enhances the cancer-killing properties of the drugs. During the procedure, chemotherapy is injected through a catheter directly into a liver tumor using image guidance. The chemotherapy drugs are mixed with microspheres, which block the flow of blood to the tumor. Without a blood supply, the tumor no longer has the oxygen and nutrients it needs to grow. Chemoembolization allows high doses of chemotherapy drugs to be targeted directly to the cancerous portion of the liver for a longer period of time, without exposing the entire body to the effect of
the drugs.
