How will I know if my pancreatic cancer can be removed?

The surgical classification method classifies tumors based on whether or not the tumor can be surgically removed.

Resectable: This type of cancer can be surgically removed. These tumors may lie within the pancreas or extend to nearby organs, but do not involve local blood vessels. When cancer is resectable, there is no evidence of any spread outside the tissue removed during surgery.

Locally Advanced: This type of cancer cannot be surgically removed with traditional methods because it has invaded nearby blood vessels or nearby organs. However, there is no evidence of spread to distant parts of the body.

Metastatic: This type of cancer cannot be surgically removed because the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Unfortunately, nearly half of all pancreatic cancer cases are detected at this stage.