What is whipple surgery?

The Whipple procedure is an operation to remove a pancreatic tumor and a lot of the tissue around it.

Before your surgery, you may also have a laparoscopy so the doctor can look at the pancreas and other organs in the area. This is done to see if the cancer has spread. Tissue samples may be taken for a biopsy.

If the tumor hasn't spread, and the whole tumor can be removed, the surgeon will take out the part of the pancreas containing the tumor during the Whipple surgery. Part of the small intestine and other nearby tissues will be removed. The surgeon may also remove part of the stomach.

The goal of surgery is to remove the tumor and some of the normal tissue around it. The normal tissue is examined under a microscope to see if it is free of cancer cells. This is known as getting "clear margins." Having clear margins improves the chances—but doesn't guarantee—that all cancer cells have been removed.

The second part of the surgery involves sewing your digestive tract back together.

Sometimes the Whipple procedure can be done with laparoscopic surgery. This uses several small incisions instead of one large one. If so, it may be done with robotic assistance.

The Whipple procedure is done to try to remove cancer from the pancreas.

When all of the cancer is removed during a Whipple surgery, it can help a person live longer. Even when this surgery is successful, the cancer often eventually comes back.