Endoscopic Ultrasound for Pancreatic Cancer
Learn how endoscopic ultrasound aids in treating pancreatic cancer pain. Dr. Leon Yoder explains how doctors use this tool to help administer a nerve block near the pancreas to alleviate pain.
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Dr. Leon Yoder: Endoscopic ultrasound is not only used for diagnostic reasons. It also can be used for therapeutic. Meaning that it can also assist in the treatment of cancers. We can also use endoscopic ultrasound to alleviate pain. What's called a celiac neurolysis is a technique that we use to treat pancreatic cancer pain. Oftentimes, the pain is so great that medications don't always relieve it. So now with endoscopic ultrasound, we're able to use an injection technique where we inject, do a nerve block right near the pancreas. And doing that nerve block then stops the pain when you have pancreatic cancer that is not usually alleviated completely with other types of pain medication. We're also starting new types of treatment with endoscopic ultrasound. And with this, we're able to now direct a needle right into a tumor, such as the pancreas. And with this technique, we're able to inject chemotherapy right into the tumor itself. This will aid in the treatment of a pancreatic cancer. So these are the newer things that we're doing with endoscopic ultrasound treatment.