This is called staging. Stage II Cancer has spread to nearby organs such as the stomach, spleen, or colon, but has not entered the lymph nodes. Stage III Cancer has spread to lymph nodes near the pancreas. The cancer may or may not have spread to nearby organs. Stage IV Cancer has spread to places far away from the pancreas, such as the liver or lungs.
Recurrent disease means that the cancer has come back after it has been treated.
It may come back in the pancreas or in another part of the body. How Cancer Of The Pancreas Is Treated There are treatments for all patients with cancer of the pancreas. Surgery may be used to take out the tumor. Enough of the pancreas is left to continue making digestive juices and insulin. Total pancreatectomy takes out the whole pancreas, part of the small intestine, part of the stomach, the bile duct, the gallbladder, spleen, and most of the lymph nodes in the area.