Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer
Treatments for pancreatic cancer may include surgery, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and clinical trials focused on newer treatments, such as immunotherapy. Due to limited options that extend life to a significant degree when surgery is not possible, the National Cancer Institute recommends considering a clinical trial.

Treatment options currently available can be classified as:

Curative: These treatments are done with the hope of achieving long-term survival with the disease.

Palliative: These treatments that may not extend survival, but improve quality of life for those living with the disease.

Treatments that address cancer itself can be further categorized as:

Local treatments: These are treatments that treat cancer where it originated, and include surgery and radiation therapy.

Systemic treatments: These treatments are designed to address cancer cells anywhere in the body (including metastases) and include chemotherapy and some of the newer medications available in clinical trials.