Pancreatic Cancer Program

The only comprehensive pancreatic cancer program on Seattle’s Eastside, bringing care closer to home for families in Bellevue, Kirkland, Issaquah and surrounding areas. 

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, the team at Overlake Cancer Center is here for you. We know that pancreatic cancer is a difficult and scary diagnosis. Our team is on your side with the latest treatment options for the best possible outcomes. 

Your care team will include experts from different specialties, working together to provide expert and compassionate care. Many patients and families choose Overlake for our leading-edge care and expertise that’s delivered in a smaller, easier-to-navigate health system.

Pancreatic Cancers We Treat

We treat the two main types of pancreatic cancer:

• Adenocarcinomas, which are the most common type of pancreatic cancer. These cancers rarely show symptoms in the early stages, so patients are often diagnosed when their cancer has progressed to a more advanced stage. 
• Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs), which are less common, but typically have better prognoses and outcomes than adenocarcinomas.

Pancreatic Cancer Treatments and Services

Overlake is home to a team of experts who work together to treat pancreatic cancer. Care typically starts with: 

• Imaging studies, to understand the size and location of a tumor, if it is affecting any blood vessels and if it has spread to other parts of the body. 
• A biopsy, where doctors take a small sample of tissue and study it to determine the type of cancer.

Once your care team has determined the type, stage and location of your pancreatic tumor, they will work together to build a treatment plan tailored to your specific needs. Your care plan may include:

• Surgery, to remove the tumor, followed by chemotherapy to destroy any remaining cancer cells. 
• Chemotherapy and possibly radiation therapy, to shrink a tumor before surgically removing it. 
• Pain management and palliative care, to help you stay comfortable and reduce symptoms like pain or difficulty eating. 

If you need surgery, you may be eligible for minimally invasive surgery, which offers smaller incisions, faster recovery times and lower risk of complications. Minimally invasive techniques often work well for surgery on the body or tail of the pancreas (not the head). We perform open surgery on the head of the pancreas (called the Whipple procedure), which is the current standard of care for this surgery. 

An expert care team building a custom treatment plan

Your personalized care team may include surgeons, gastrointestinal specialists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists and other experts providing all aspects of pancreatic cancer care. This approach enables us to treat your cancer from every angle and care for every aspect of your health. 

Overlake has a close partnership with Fred Hutch Cancer Center, giving our patients access to the latest therapies and treatment options including clinical trials. If your doctor thinks you may benefit from a clinical trial, they will talk to you about the trials available through Fred Hutch and if enrolling may be the right option for you. 

Advanced imaging procedures

Your care will start with diagnostic studies to gather detailed information about your cancer. Our team may use specialized imaging tools such as:

• Endoscopic ultrasound, where doctors use a long, thin tube (endoscope) and an ultrasound to take pictures of the digestive system and nearby organs. This approach helps doctors capture images from different angles to better see and understand pancreatic tumors.
• Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), which uses an endoscope and X-rays to look for problems in the digestive system. ERCP can take detailed images of the pancreatic ducts and bile ducts. In some cases, ERCP can also be used to treat problems in the pancreas. For example, it can be used to unblock and drain the bile ducts. 

Leading surgical outcomes, close to home on the Eastside

Overlake is home to the only fellowship-trained pancreatic cancer surgeon on the Eastside. This means our surgeon had extra years of advanced training to perform specialized pancreatic surgeries.  With more than 10 years of experience doing pancreatic and liver surgery, our surgeon has performed hundreds of procedures to date. Our outcomes are on par with the best hospitals in the nation.   

Our patients often appreciate that Overlake offers this type of expertise in a smaller medical setting. To them, it feels like the best of both worlds: They get access to leading surgeons in the area and they’re able to easily get their questions answered – before, during and after surgery. 

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“Pancreatic surgery is my passion, that’s why I spend so much time training in this field. I really want my patients to do well. I always tell them to let me know about every little thing because I’d rather hear about something that’s not important than hear about something that is important too late. In short, I treat my patients like my family.” - Dr. Sung Cho, Hepatobiliary Surgeon at Overlake Medical Center & Clinics