Pancreatic Cancer

At Verita Life we support pancreatic cancer patients through integrative treatment programmes that are developed around each patient’s unique diagnosis and circumstance, treatment history, and current condition.

No two cases of pancreatic cancer are the same and our medical team will work together to provide the best treatments and therapies across different stages of treatment and throughout your recovery.

Pancreatic cancer is an umbrella term for the many types of cancer that can be found in the pancreas and how they are treated changes case by case. Some of the pancreatic cancers we treat include:

Pancreatic cancer rarely causes symptoms at an early stage, and the symptoms it does cause are easy to mistake for other conditions. They can include:

• Jaundice, a yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes
• Pale or light-coloured stools, and dark urine
• Pain in the upper or middle abdomen, or in the back
• Weight loss for no known reason
• Loss of appetite, or feeling full quickly
• Fatigue
• New diabetes, or diabetes that becomes harder to control

Jaundice with no obvious cause should be checked promptly.

The stage describes the size of the tumour, whether nearby lymph nodes are involved, and whether the cancer has spread to distant organs. Stage 0 is abnormal cells in the lining of the pancreas; stages I to III are cancers of increasing size and local spread; stage IV has spread to distant organs, most often the liver or lungs.

For planning treatment, doctors more often describe the cancer as resectable (it can be removed by surgery), borderline resectable, locally advanced (it has grown around major blood vessels), or metastatic.

Pancreatic cancer treatment depends on whether the tumour can be removed, its stage, and your overall health. An oncology and surgical team plans it, and supportive care runs alongside from the start because symptoms such as pain, digestion problems, and weight loss need managing in their own right. Verita Life does not replace this care. Our therapies are designed to support it.

Surgery

Removal of the tumour with part of the pancreas and, depending on its position, part of the small intestine and bile duct (the Whipple procedure) or the tail of the pancreas. Possible for a minority of cancers found early.

Chemotherapy

Medicines that kill fast-growing cells, given before surgery to shrink the tumour, after surgery to lower the risk of return, or as the main treatment for advanced disease.

Radiation therapy and chemoradiation

High-energy beams, often combined with chemotherapy, for locally advanced cancer or to relieve pain.

Targeted therapy and immunotherapy

Medicines chosen by the tumour’s genetic features, such as BRCA changes or high microsatellite instability, for the small number of cancers that carry them.

Supportive and palliative care

Pain control, pancreatic enzyme replacement, nutrition support, and stents to relieve a blocked bile duct, given at any stage to protect quality of life.

Pancreatic cancer support provided by Verita Life

We review each case and each patient individually, considering the progression of the disease, current treatment plans, and personal goals moving forward. Pancreatic cancer support at Verita Life might include:

Why choose Verita Life for pancreatic cancer support?

• Specialised international cancer treatments: We provide patient-focused care at our international clinics, guided by experienced medical professionals working to the highest international standards.
• Integrative and complementary focus: Our programmes are designed to support wellbeing and overall health alongside or post medical treatments.
• Individually tailored programmes: Every single patient at Verita Life is offered a unique treatment programme tailored to their needs, diagnosis, and personal health goals.
• Supportive clinical environment: We support all our patients with clear communication, compassionate care, and education around their diagnosis and treatment plans.

Treatment for pancreatic cancer care at Verita Life

Verita Life’s integrative pancreatic cancer treatments incorporate medically-backed traditional therapies with holistic therapies designed to complement conventional care. Our pancreatic cancer treatments include:

Metronomic Therapy

Metronomic chemotherapy is an approach to cancer treatment in which chemotherapy is given at a lower dose, but more frequently and with shorter or no extended breaks between treatments.

Metabolic Treatment

Metabolic approaches investigate how cancer cells obtain and use energy and nutrients. Cancer cells behave very differently to healthy cells, often heavily relying on glucose and alter their metabolic pathways in order to grow more rapidly than healthy cells. This is a broad area of research, not a single established treatment or diet and at Verita Life we use metabolic approaches within our wider, personalised treatment plans.

Local Body Hyperthermia

Local body hyperthermia is a type of integrative therapy designed to work alongside both integrative oncology care and conventional cancer treatments. Local body hyperthermia is a targeted heat-based therapy that delivers controlled heat to specific areas of the body.

IPT & Low-Dose Chemotherapy

Insulin potentiation therapy, or IPT, uses insulin alongside lower doses of chemotherapy as part of an integrative cancer treatment approach.

Herbal Cancer Therapy

Following years of research, our medical team have developed specific herbal treatment protocols to address varying types of tumours. We use proven compounds that stem from all natural herbal ingredients such as curcumin, quercetin and other anti-cancer therapies.

Biological Treatment

Biological treatments are supportive regimens that can sometimes fall under immunotherapy due to their nature, and work by harnessing the body's natural immune system or targeting precise molecular pathways involved in cancer growth.

Natural Killer Cell Therapy

Natural Killer (NK) cells are a type of lymphocyte, or white blood cell, that play a major role in the immune system by targeting and killing infected cells and cancer cells.