Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer is considered Stage IV if it has spread far in the body, such as the lungs, liver, or adjacent organs including the stomach, spleen, and / or intestines.
Stage IV pancreatic cancer is generally not removable by surgery and because it is rarely curable and often difficult to control. A surgical procedure may be to reduce symptoms and improve quality of life in some patients, but the recommended treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer typically consists of chemotherapy.

Treatment may consist of surgery, radiation chemotherapy, biological therapy, or a combination of treatment techniques. Multi-modality treatment is treatment using two or more techniques, and is increasingly recognized as an important approach to increase the chance of a cure or prolong patient survival. In some cases, participation in a clinical trial utilizing new, innovative therapies may provide the most promising treatments. Stage IV pancreatic cancer patients can be divided into two groups:
Stage IVA
Pancreatic cancer is locally confined, but involves adjacent organs or blood vessels, thus inhibiting the removal operation. Stage IVA pancreatic cancer is also referred to as a local or locally advanced. The goal of treatment for patients with local IVA disease is to induce remission, or disease-free period that may last months or years. Stage IVA Pancreatic Cancer Treatment

Pancreatic cancer is often not diagnosed until in Stage IVA, which means the cancer has invaded adjacent organs or major blood vessels. When this occurs surgical removal of cancer is rarely an option. Therefore, the goal of treatment of patients with Stage IVA pancreatic cancer is to prevent and control symptoms.

Treatment for Stage IVA pancreatic cancer may include palliative surgery, chemotherapy or chemoradiation, chemotherapy and radiation are delivered together. Sometimes, surgical bypass procedures can be done to reduce the complications of cancer, such as jaundice, intestinal obstruction, or pain, thereby improving the quality of life.

Stage IVB pancreatic cancer
cancer has spread to distant organs, most commonly the liver. Stage IVB pancreatic cancer is also called metastasis. Management of patients with Stage IVB disease is often aimed at controlling symptoms and pain from cancer.
  
Non-local Treatment of Cancer Stage IVB (metastatic) pancreatic

Most patients with stage IVB cancer, the cancer has spread to distant locations in the body that often include the liver and other areas of the abdominal cavity. To kill cancer cells that have spread throughout the body, systemic treatment is required, and this is usually chemotherapy. Historically, patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer was considered incurable and rarely survive more than a year. However, with newer treatments, some patients survive 1-2 years and can experience improved quality of life.