Pancreatic Cancer
Overview
Pancreatic cancer is a gastrointestinal cancer that affects the pancreas, a small gland that produces enzymes and hormones, including insulin, to regulate your blood glucose and help you digest food. Pancreatic cancer is a very complex disease that spreads quickly. It is often diagnosed late, making treatment more difficult. There are two types of pancreatic cancer:
- Exocrine pancreatic cancer, which represents the greatest number of cases, develops in the ducts that produce digestive fluids.
- Endocrine pancreatic cancer, also called islet cell cancer, begins in the cells that make hormones.
Our approach
Our physicians are global leaders in the diagnosis and multidisciplinary treatment of complex pancreatic cancer. Many of our physicians are involved in research, including clinical trials with a drug developed at the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
Research in action
Masonic Cancer Center was one of four institutions awarded a five-year, $11.5 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to explore groundbreaking pancreatic cancer research, prevention and treatment. The grant focuses on achieving breakthroughs in research to better understand, diagnose and treat patients with pancreatic cancer. The medical center is one of a very few institutions in the country with federal funding to support a comprehensive treatment program in pancreatic cancer.