Anton Bilchik Explains the Whipple Procedure

Symptoms of pancreatic cancer often do not appear until tumors have spread to nearby organs, such as the gallbladder, intestines, and nearby lymph nodes. Highly trained surgeons like Dr. Anton Bilchik use the Whipple procedure to remove these tumors from the pancreas and other organs, to prevent cancer from spreading further.

When Anton Bilchik discusses the Whipple procedure with his colleagues, they may refer to it as “pancreatoduodenectomy.” Surgeons use the Whipple procedure to remove tumors from the pancreas more often than any other procedure. The Whipple procedure is the most commonly performed procedure to remove tumors from the pancreas, but this life-saving surgery is anything but simple.

The Whipple Procedure

Dr. Bilchik may perform a standard Whipple procedure in which he will remove the head of the pancreas and nearby lymph nodes, the gallbladder, the uppermost part of the intestine known as the duodenum, and the section of the stomach called the pylorus. In some cases, he will perform a pylorus-sparing Whipple procedure, in which he does not remove that part of the stomach.

The surgery usually lasts six to ten hours. The patient may remain in the hospital for up to two weeks. For seven to ten days after the surgery, a patient may experience delayed gastric emptying, in which his stomach takes too long to empty after a meal. Some patients require a feeding tube.

Anton Bilchik MD is one of the nation’s leading cancer surgeons; he has special expertise in performing the Whipple procedure and other life-saving cancer surgeries. Dr. Bilchik helps patients learn if the Whipple procedure is the right treatment choice for their pancreatic cancer.