U.S. News & World Report: Chronic pancreatitis: Surgery can help, but healthy lifestyle is key
UC study is the largest to look at overall survival following after surgery for chronic pancreatitis
Chronic pancreatitis is a painful, debilitating condition, often requiring major surgery to remove all or part of the pancreas. New research from UC looking at patients who have had surgery for chronic pancreatitis with follow-up of six years or longer finds that about two-thirds survive after 10 years. However, more than one-fourth of these patients were still using opioids daily for pain.
The study, presented at the Southern Surgical Association 134th annual meeting in December, was published online in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons (JACS). The 493 patients in the study all had surgery for chronic pancreatitis at UC Medical Center between 2000 and 2020.
“After surgical intervention, we, as surgeons, expect that we return these patients back to their normal lives,” said Gregory Wilson, MD, an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery at the UC College of Medicine and lead author of the study. “In this study, we have long-term follow-up examining survival and cause of death in these patients well after that surgical period, and what we see is that survival continues to decline even five years out from surgery.”
Gregory Wilson, MD, of the Department of Surgery at the UC College of Medicine/Photo/Colleen Kelley/UC Marketing + Brand
Several media outlets covered the publication of the research, including U.S. News & World Report, which reported the findings underscore how serious chronic pancreatitis can be, and how important it is for patients to have long-term care after surgery.
"It can't just be go to your primary care provider once a year," said Wilson.
Instead, he said, patients need continuing care for physical health conditions like diabetes, and in many cases, psychological counseling and care for addiction — whether to alcohol, smoking or the opioids many patients are prescribed to manage their pain.
Chronic pancreatitis involves ongoing inflammation in the organ that disrupts its normal functioning. The causes vary with heavy drinking and smoking being risk factors. The condition also causes a range of problems including people having to take digestive enzymes to manage weight loss and diarrhea, and many develop diabetes. But possibly the most debilitating symptom is chronic abdominal pain, which means many patients use painkillers for years.
When those measures are not enough, surgery to remove part or all of the pancreas may ultimately be recommended.
"By the time patients come to see us," Wilson said, "it's not uncommon that they're dependent on opioids just to get through the day."
Surgery can often ease the pain and improve people's quality of life, he noted.
Read the entire U.S. News & World Report story here.
Lead photo of a pancreas model/Scatterbrained Glory
Next Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is classified as a Research 1 institution by the Carnegie Commission and is ranked in the National Science Foundation's Top-35 public research universities. UC's graduate students and faculty investigate problems and innovate solutions with real-world impact. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
2021 University Recognition Ceremony honors student achievements
April 13, 2021
The University of Cincinnati recognizes students each year who have made significant service, leadership, and academic contributions to the UC community. These students exemplify the spirit of what it means to be a Bearcat.
UC Day of Giving a success
April 28, 2021
University of Cincinnati Day of Giving’s 24-hour challenge was a tremendous success this year, raising $2,219,197 with 3,232 gifts. The fourth annual UC Day of Giving raised its most money to date with alumni, donors, students, faculty and staff joining together to support UC and UC Health.
President picks exceptional talent
April 28, 2021
The University of Cincinnati 2021 Presidential Leadership Medal of Excellence Awards honor six undergraduate scholars for scholarship, leadership, character, service and the ideals of the university. Awardees are spotlighted for exceptional academics, creativity, community service and innovation.
Grad students earn president's highest honor
April 28, 2021
The University of Cincinnati 2021 Presidential Medal of Graduate Student Excellence Awards honor three graduate scholars for scholarship, leadership, character, service and the ideals of the university. Awardees are spotlighted for exceptional academics, creativity, community service and innovation.
GIVEHOPE and BSI Engineering Celebrate Ten Years of Driving Research
August 3, 2021
Years after two personal losses from pancreatic cancer, Cincinnati-based nonprofit GIVEHOPE and consulting firm BSI Engineering are celebrating a philanthropic partnership that has funded 13 pilot research projects at the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center.
Finding community and building a future
July 9, 2021
As a University of Cincinnati College of Medicine student, Sarah Appeadu, MD, ’21, remembers journaling on the “3 Cs” that got her through medical school: Community, community, community. Now, when she lists the people who supported her through four years of training—the last year in a global pandemic—it keeps growing: her family, her church, her classmates, and the college’s Office of Student Affairs and Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. “I look back and it was such a crucial time to really be nurtured in that way,” she says. “I’m so thankful that I had those people. It shows being around the right people really mattered. That’s my same hope for residency even.”
UC to honor 2,079 grads at summer Commencement
August 2, 2021
UC celebrates the 2021 summer Commencement on Friday in two ceremonies at Fifth Third Arena. On Saturday, UC will recognize 2020 grads with an in-person Commencement celebration.
New York Times: Flint Weighs Scope of Harm to Children Caused by Lead in Water
February 1, 2016
Kim Dietrich, a professor of environmental health at UC's College of Medicine, is quoted in this story on the medical problems that could develop among the thousands of young children exposed to lead-contaminated water in Flint, Mich.
Cancer-Causing Gene Found in Plasma May Help Predict Outcomes for Patients
February 18, 2016
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati have discovered that a human cancer-causing gene, called DEK, can be detected in the plasma of head and neck cancer patients.
UC Receives $1.9 Million to Study Pain
February 15, 2016
Jun-Ming Zhang, MD, of the UC College of Medicine, is the principal investigator of a $1.95 million grant to study the interacting roles of the sympathetic and sensory nervous and immune systems in back and neuropathic pain models.