Why Choose Us for Pancreatic Cancer Treatment
Huntsman Cancer Institute’s Pancreatic Cancer Care Team is a leader in personalized, expert care. As the National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center serving the Mountain West, we offer the latest treatments, groundbreaking clinical trials, and unparalleled surgical expertise. Our pancreatic cancer surgeons are highly experienced, performing a large volume of surgeries each year and giving you confidence that you're in the best hands.
Huntsman Cancer Institute is a nationally recognized destination care center for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Patients travel from across the country for our specialized diagnostics and therapies, many of which are available nowhere else in the Mountain West.
“The success that I’ve had is due to the team at Huntsman Cancer Institute. I have been blessed all the way through it."
Ricky Harbison
Pancreatic cancer patient
Specialized Treatments
Our Pancreatic Cancer Care Team specializes in personalized treatment plans, providing state-of-the-art, comprehensive care and the most advanced treatments available.
We work closely with each patient to decide which of the following treatments or combination of treatments is best for them:
- Surgery—We provide expertise in the removal of part or all of the pancreas using the latest, minimally invasive surgical techniques.
- Radiation therapy—We use cutting-edge radiation technologies, like stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), to target cancer cells effectively.
- Chemotherapy—We deliver powerful drugs to kill cancer cells or stop their growth.
- Targeted therapy—We offer advanced drugs that block specific genetic changes in cancer cells, improving patient outcomes and minimizing side effects.
- Interventional radiology—We use image-guided procedures to treat cancer and manage symptoms with minimal invasiveness.
- Interventional gastroenterology—We perform advanced endoscopic procedures to diagnose and treat gastrointestinal complications of cancer.
We also offer genetic counseling and testing as well as supportive oncology services for all pancreatic cancer patients. Our High Risk Pancreatic Cancer Clinic provides personalized screening and prevention strategies for those with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer.
Our Expertise
Our team brings together experts in multidisciplinary care to ensure you receive the best support possible. We are proud to be a high-volume center, a distinction linked to better outcomes and fewer complications for patients undergoing pancreatic procedures.
Our physicians are not only skilled clinicians but also active researchers, ensuring that patients benefit from the most current, evidence-based therapies.
Patient Care Philosophy
We believe no one should face cancer alone. Our dedicated and world-renowned doctors, nurses, and medical staff are at the forefront of patient-centered care. We treat the whole person, not just their cancer.
Each day, our medical, surgical, and radiation oncologists work together across disciplines to create and coordinate treatment plans for every patient. We understand cancer is a complex disease. That is why we use a team approach that includes social workers and support groups, as well as wellness and integrative health services such as acupuncture, massage, creative arts, and more.
Find a Pancreatic Cancer Doctor
Pancreatic Cancer Research
Huntsman Cancer Institute is nationally recognized for our pancreatic cancer research, making discoveries that are changing how this disease is detected and treated. Our scientists have made major breakthroughs in understanding how pancreatic cancer grows and spreads.
We lead and participate in national and international clinical trials, including studies focused on early detection and promising new treatments like RAS inhibitors. With the largest Phase 1 clinical trials program in the Mountain West, Huntsman Cancer Institute gives pancreatic cancer patients access to cutting-edge therapies not widely available elsewhere.
Clinical Trials
Make an appointment with a pancreatic cancer specialist
To make an appointment with a pancreatic cancer specialist, fill out our appointment form or call 801-587-7000. Our team will determine if your insurance covers treatment at Huntsman Cancer Institute or if you need a referral from a primary care doctor.
External providers can refer a patient using the online referral form or by calling 801-587-7000 to speak to a patient registration specialist.
Pancreatic Cancer Basics
Pancreatic cancer is a disease in which cancerous cells form in the tissues of the pancreas. Pancreatic tumors are divided into two categories based on the type of cell they start in:
Pancreatic Exocrine Tumors
These tumors start in exocrine cells, which produce enzymes that help digestion. About 95% of pancreatic cancer cases are a type of pancreatic exocrine tumors:
- Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma—Most pancreatic cancer diagnoses (over 90%) are adenocarcinoma, also called ductal carcinoma. Adenocarcinoma starts in the lining of the ducts of the pancreas.
- Other Pancreatic Exocrine Tumors—Less common pancreatic exocrine tumors include adenosquamous carcinoma, colloid carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma.
Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors
These tumors start in endocrine cells, which make hormones to help control blood-sugar levels.
These tumors are rare, making up less than 5% of pancreatic cancer diagnoses.
Precancerous cysts can also form in the pancreas. These can become cancerous if left untreated.
These are signs of pancreatic cancer:
- Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes, also known as jaundice
- Light-colored stools
- Dark urine
- Pain in the upper or middle abdomen and back
- Weight loss for no known reason
- Loss of appetite
- Feeling very tired
Many other health problems can also cause these signs. If you have any of these signs, see your doctor as soon as possible.
Anything that increases your chance of getting a disease is called a risk factor. Having a risk factor does not mean you are sure to get cancer. It means your chances are higher than the average person’s. Talk with your doctor to learn more about your cancer risk.
These are risk factors for pancreatic cancer:
- Smoking
- Being overweight
- Having a personal history of diabetes or chronic pancreatitis
- Having a family history of pancreatic cancer or pancreatitis
Learn more about ways to prevent cancer and about family history and genetic counseling.
Doctors use these tests to diagnose pancreatic cancer:
Physical exam and history
A health care provider examines your body for signs of disease. Your personal health habits, past illnesses, and symptoms help guide the exam.
Laboratory tests
Through testing body tissues, blood, urine, or other substances in the body, your health care team can check to see how the pancreas and other organs are functioning. They can also look for substances that cells produce when cancer is present.
Biopsy
The health care provider removes cell or tissue samples so they can be viewed under a microscope to check for signs of cancer.
Ultrasound
This procedure uses high-energy sound waves to create a picture of the internal organs.
Imaging tests
Using dyes, X-rays, magnets, radio waves and/or computer technology, your health care provider can create detailed images of internal organs.
Other procedures
Some procedures use a combination of X-rays, scopes, needles, and surgeries to look at internal organs. These include endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC), and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).
Staging is the process that shows whether cancer has spread within or around the pancreas or to other parts of the body. Cancer spreads in the body in three ways: through tissue, the lymph system, or the blood.
These are the stages used for pancreatic exocrine tumors, the most common type of pancreatic cancer:
- Stage 0—Stage 0 cancers are often called carcinoma in situ. For stage 0 pancreatic cancer, tests have found abnormal cells on the lining of the pancreas. These abnormal cells may become cancer and spread.
- Stage 1—The cancer is in the pancreas only.
- Stage 1A—The tumor is 2 centimeters or smaller.
- Stage 1B—The tumor is between 2–4 centimeters.
- Stage 2—The cancer has spread to nearby tissues, organs, or lymph nodes.
- Stage 2A—The tumor is larger than 4 centimeters.
- Stage 2B—The tumor has spread to 1–3 lymph nodes.
- Stage 3—The cancer has spread to the major blood vessels near the pancreas and may have spread to nearby lymph nodes.
- Stage 4—The cancer has spread to distant organs such as the liver or lungs.
When cancer spreads from where it started to another part of the body, it is called metastasis. These metastatic cancer cells are the same type of cancer as the primary tumor. For example, if pancreatic cancer spreads to the bone, the cancer cells in the bone are actually pancreatic cancer cells. The disease is metastatic pancreatic cancer, not bone cancer.
