Show Me WherePictures for clearer appointments

Pancreatic cancer · Help and support

Help with understanding your pancreatic cancer appointment

Your specialist team and nurse can explain your results, the choices available and the next steps. Ask them to show you on the model what your results mean.

Open the explorer Read the guide

If you feel unwell during or after treatment, use the 24-hour number your hospital team gave you. Otherwise call NHS 111. In an emergency, call 999.

Your specialist team, often based at a regional pancreas centre, and your specialist nurse can explain your results, the choices available and the next steps. Keep your nurse’s name and direct number somewhere easy to find.

Someone to talk to

Words you may hear

Head, body and tail
The parts of the pancreas, from right to left.
Whipple’s operation
Removing the head of the pancreas with the duodenum, gallbladder and end of the bile duct.
Distal pancreatectomy
Removing the body and tail of the pancreas, often with the spleen.
Stent
A small tube that keeps the bile duct open so bile can drain, easing jaundice.
Jaundice
Yellowing of the skin and eyes when the bile duct is blocked.
Enzymes (PERT)
Capsules taken with food to help digestion when the pancreas cannot make enough juice.
EUS
Endoscopic ultrasound: a scan from inside the stomach, sometimes with a biopsy.

Trusted information

The explorer is a simplified illustration for a conversation with your team. It cannot interpret your report, diagnose cancer, stage it or tell you which treatment is right.