How is duodenal cancer treated?

How is duodenal cancer treated?

Your treatment plan varies depending on the cancer stage. Your healthcare provider may recommend:

• Surgery: A surgeon removes as much of the tumor as possible while keeping healthy tissue intact. In severe cases, you may have a Whipple procedure, where the surgeon removes your duodenum, gallbladder and a small part of your pancreas.
• Chemotherapy: You take medications to destroy fast-growing cells in the body, such as cancer cells. You may have chemotherapy in several rounds of treatment with rest periods in between.
• Radiation therapy: A radiation oncologist directs high doses of radiation beams to your GI tract. Radiation therapy shrinks or destroys tumor cells.