Whipple surgery, finding the best doctor

cactmi
cactmi Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Rare and Other Cancers #1
I need to find a surgeon with a lot of experience in the Whipple surgical proceedure. How does one go about finding someone who does many (e.g. 100/yr) per year? How does one get seen by them in a timely fashion? Thank you!

Comments

  • AuthorUnknown
    AuthorUnknown Member Posts: 1,537 Member
    #2
    Hello,

    You may want to consider contacting the American Cancer Society's National Cancer Information Center. Cancer Information Specialists are available 24 hours a day and may be able to assist you with resources. They can be reached at 1-800-227-2345 or by clicking on the "Contact ACS" link at the top of the page.

    Take care and be well,

    Dana
    CSN Dana
  • pandan
    pandan Member Posts: 1
    #3
    Cactmi, Here is a website that has some information on top cancer centers in the U.S. My wife had a Whipple last year at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Yeo and Dr. Cameron are tops in this field. She chose JH over Mass General in Boston, Sloan-Kettering in NY, Fox Chase Cancer Ctr. in Phila., and MD Anderson in Houston. You are wise to consider going somewhere where they do this often. JH does them every day. Our advice is to pick a clinic that does them frequently and get the procedure as soon as you can. Good luck!
    http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/hosptl/rankings/specihqcanc.htm
  • jimnsherry
    jimnsherry Member Posts: 23
    #4
    I had a Whipple done at the Indiana University Medical Center. It was done by Dr. Lilliemoe, previously of Johns Hopkins. He did a great job on me, did 14 biopsies during the 3 1/2 hour surgery. He was not the greatest people person, his bedside manner was lacking, but his surgical skills in my opinion are very good, I have a nice scar. I healed very well too. my email: golfwrench@msn.com
  • isletcell
    isletcell Member Posts: 61 Member
    #5
    I would like to highly recomend Dr. Charles Scudamore in Vancouver B.C. Canada! He is probably one of the most experienced whipple surgeons in north america.

    Jen
  • luvmymum
    luvmymum Member Posts: 1
    #6
    Hi, my mother had a Whipple in Oct. 2003, at Mass General in Boston, she had a Carlos Fernandez del Castillo, he is very well known for this surgery. She is doing well as of this time.
  • adamos
    adamos Member Posts: 1
    #7
    whipple surgery

    i was wodering if anyone knows where is the best place to do the whipple surgery but not in USA because the patient who is my father have high levels of Bilirubin. however he have to do the surgery in the next days. i am from Cyprus so i prefer to stay in Europe..if anyone know anything please contact me asap please.

  • ikcho
    ikcho Member Posts: 2
    #8
    adamos said:

    whipple surgery

    i was wodering if anyone knows where is the best place to do the whipple surgery but not in USA because the patient who is my father have high levels of Bilirubin. however he have to do the surgery in the next days. i am from Cyprus so i prefer to stay in Europe..if anyone know anything please contact me asap please.

    whipple

    i went to mayo to schedule with Dr Nagorney asked how many time he did whipple he said for 30 years

    but did not say the particula whipple how many times so eve if i made appoint mnet for surgrey       still looking for better whipple doctor

     ikcho

  • Greselda
    Greselda Member Posts: 1
    #9
    luvmymum said:

    Hi, my mother had a Whipple in Oct. 2003, at Mass General in Boston, she had a Carlos Fernandez del Castillo, he is very well known for this surgery. She is doing well as of this time.

    Hello...this is my first time

    Hello...this is my first time posting to this site, so bear with me.....

    I had my whipple surgery done in September of 2013 at The Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, AZ.  My surgical team was headed by Dr. Kataria and he and his team were outstanding!  This team does many transplants along with many whipple procedures each and every week.  I knew from my research that I wanted to be treated by Mayo.

    I was diagnosed in late July/early August with pancreatitis and although I recovered from that without incident, my GP knew from my CT and MRI tests that something was going on.  He contacted Mayo himself and the next week I was in Phoenix for my first appointment with the Mayo Clinic. 

    Because my tumor was so small, even the doctors at Mayo could not really see it, however, tests indicated that there was something there.....they just didn't know where in the pancreas the tumor was located...the head, body or tail.  Instead of having me go through more and more tests to locate it, they decided that I would be better off having the surgery as soon as possible...which I did.

    I came through my whipple with flying colors and was told I was very lucky to have caught it so early.  My surgeon told me that they had gotten it all and I was stage 2.

    They found that it was confined to the head of the pancreas only, and it had not invaded the blood lines or the margins.  They biopsied 18 lymph nodes next to the tumor and found trace in only 2.  Beacause of that I had 6 months of Gemzar chemo, and 5 weeks (once a day, 5 days a week...ugh!) of radiation.

    I had my first PET scan done about 3-1/2 weeks after the end of my initial chemo with Gemzar and it was good and not so good...

    They did not find any new cancer and no masses, also my SUV numbers were very low which is a good indicator.  However, they did find some minimal uptake in my FDG (which is the glucose injection they use in this test) along my resection lines....hummmm.

    Because of those indicators, my oncologist decided to put me back on chemo, only this time they threw the book at me!  It was a combination of Gemzar/Abraxane and this time I lost my hair, along with my brows and lashes...eeeww!  Oh well, they grow back.

    I will be having my second PET scan on December 10th and we all have our fingers crossed that this one will be good!  Hope this is good information for someone.

    Greselda

     

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