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Pancreatic Cancer

There is hope, innovation and support available for those with pancreatic cancer here at the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Diagnosis and Treatment
Our pancreatic cancer specialists follow a team approach to care. Patients have their diagnosis discussed not only by our pancreatic oncologists, but also by team surgeons and pathologists. By having everyone involved, a personalized treatment plan is developed. In most cases, this discussion happens the same day as the appointment.

Our doctors use the latest techniques, such as:

• endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography
• specialized CT scan and endoscopic ultrasound procedures for diagnosis and staging
• experienced surgeons expert in the removal of part or all of pancreatic tumors -- both open and robotically
• combined treatment approaches for localized pancreatic cancer

In addition, the University of Michigan Health System has been named a Blue Distinction Center for Complex and Rare Cancers as part of a national program by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. That means we offer a comprehensive inpatient cancer care program, delivered by a team with distinguished expertise in treating complex and rare subtypes of cancer, which includes pancreatic cancer.

We are at the forefront of research on pancreatic cancer:
In December, 2010, the Gastrointestinal Oncology Program (of which pancreatic cancer is a part) was awarded a Specialized Program in Research Excellence, or SPORE, grant. This allows our researchers to explore many different avenues (including stem cell research) to combat this type of cancer. It also means they can quickly move what proves to be successful in the laboratory to patients in the clinic.

Support:
Since our program is part of the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center, our patients have access to Patient/Family Support Services. To fully understand what this means, please take time to visit the For Cancer Center Patients area of this website. We outline the services available to our patients at every point in their care.

Make an appointment/referral

To make a first time appointment, please call the Patient Care Center at 877-308-9111 (Monday-Friday, 8am-5:30pm EST). If you would like to refer a patient, please contact our M-Line service: 800-962-3555. For more information, visit our Make an Appointment web page.

Still have questions?

The nurses at Cancer AnswerLine™ have answers. Call 1-800-865-1125 and you'll get a personal response from one of our registered nurses, who have years of experience in caring for people with cancer.

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Clinical Trials
Visit the pancreatic clinical trials -- included with gastrointestinal cancer clinical trials.

Resources:
Identifying a Doctor and Facility When You Have Cancer   Diane Simeone, M.D. provides insight for patients looking for cancer treatment.

Download and print Pancreatic Cancer: A Patient Handbook [pdf]