Biliary Stents in the Management of Pancreatic Cancer: Observations from India
Pancreatic cancer has a history of late detection, making it very aggressive. Consequently, it usually gives complications such as obstructive jaundice and this can badly compromise the patient's quality of life. Jaundice is common, causing much pain, together with digestive discomforts. Biliary stenting is one of the most effective and least invasive treatments for the management of bile duct obstruction in patients with pancreatic cancer. India, seeing a surge in incidence of pancreatic cancer, has become an essential tool to help manage symptoms and ultimately improve the outcome of patients in both. Understanding Biliary Stents in Pancreatic Cancer Biliary stents are small tubes inserted inside the bile ducts to help keep it open when there is obstruction, either from cancerous growths or other factors. These can be put in using endoscopic techniques; typically, in a patient with pancreatic cancer, this is done during ERCP (the process of Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopanc...