Pancreatitis is a condition that causes inflammation within the pancreas. This condition causes a number of issues, including pain in the upper abdomen, nausea, fever, bloating, and vomiting. In the acute version of pancreatitis, the condition can resolve fairly quickly and won’t require surgery. However, if the condition becomes chronic, the patient can experience malnutrition, extreme weight loss, and other serious symptoms. The pancreas can even be destroyed eventually, resulting in diabetes mellitus.

Pancreatic cancer is ranked as the 4th most common cause of cancer-related deaths among men, and the 5th most common cause of cancer-related deaths among women. Over 37,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer are diagnosed in the United States each year. Because there are no symptoms early on, pancreatic cancer is sometimes not diagnosed until it’s quite advanced. A painless yellowing of the skin (jaundice) is often the only symptom until the cancer is quite advanced. This type of cancer is unique in that it doesn’t respond well to common cancer treatments, like radiation and chemotherapy. However, if the cancer is identified early enough, surgical resection provides a very effective treatment. Even if the cancer isn’t diagnosed until a patient is in the later stages of the disease, surgical resection greatly improves a patient’s quality of life and gives them symptom relief.

Other pancreatic diseases that the team at Association of South Bay Surgeons treats regularly include pancreatic pseudocysts, pancreatic abscesses, and auto-immune pancreatitis.

At Association of South Bay Surgeons, an entire team of radiologists, gastroenterologists, pathologists, and medical and radiation oncologists work together to determine the best-individualized treatment plan for each patient. This includes minimally invasive laparoscopic surgeries, such as laparoscopic enucleation, laparoscopic distal/left pancreatectomy, laparoscopic pancreatic ablation, and laparoscopic and traditional Whipple Surgery (pancreaticoduodenectomy.) The surgeons at Association of South Bay Surgeons served as faculty at Penn State University and UCLA-Harbor and trained other surgeons to perform pancreatic surgery. They also researched and published about pancreatic diseases extensively. All of this makes Association of South Bay Surgeons a team with unparalleled experience.

Our board-certified & fellowship trained surgeons are skilled at diagnosing and treating pancreatic diseases including:

• Pancreatitis, Pancreatic Pseudocysts, Pancreatic Abscesses
• Auto-Immune Pancreatitis
• Pancreatic Cancers  such as Adenocarcinoma, Neuroendocrine / Islet cell carcinoma, Pseudopapillary neoplasms

Team Work & Individualized Therapy

• Our team includes surgeons with advanced training (Fellowships) in Minimally Invasive Surgery and also Pancreatic Surgery & Surgical Oncology.
• The best care requires radiologists, gastroenterologists, pathologists, and sometimes medical and radiation oncologists.
• We work closely with these and other specialists to individualize a treatment plan for you.

Minimally Invasive / LaparoscopicSurgery & Pancreatectomy

Minimally Invasive / Laparoscopic surgery reduces your pain, reduces your risk of complications, and speeds your recovery.

We are experienced in minimally invasive / laparoscopic pancreatic surgery such as:

• Laparoscopic Enucleation
• Laparoscopic Distal / Left Pancreatectomy
• Laparoscopic Pancreatic Ablation
• Laparoscopic & Traditional Whipple Surgery (Pancreatico-Duodenectomy)

Unparallelled Experience

• Our surgeons have been faculty at Penn State University and UCLA- Harbor.
• We have trained other surgeons to perform pancreatic surgery.
• We have researched and published about these diseases extensively.

Pancreatic Cancer Resources

• CancerCare: Pancreatic cancer
• Pancreatic Cancer Action Network: Find support resources