Pancreas doesn’t regenerate

June 26, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I read somewhere that if a pancreas bursts, several small pancreases form in the area. Is this true?

DEAR READER: A pancreas can burst, rupture or tear because of injury or infection. This would be a medical emergency requiring immediate medical intervention and monitoring.

To the best of my knowledge, it isn’t possible for several small pancreases to form. I cannot say so with 100 percent certainty; however, I have never heard of this happening. Had you provided the resource where you obtained the information, I might have been able to tell you if it was reliable or not.
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No screening for pancreatic cancer … yet

October 31, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: My husband’s parents both died of pancreatic cancer. Is there any test my husband and his siblings could get during their regular checkups to screen for this cancer?

DEAR READER: Pancreatic cancer is a quiet, fast-spreading disease. According to the National Cancer Institute, in 2010, about 43,000 people will be diagnosed and just under 6,000 will survive. Often, symptoms are not present until very late, when it has spread to other areas and surgical removal is impossible. Those who are diagnosed early have about a 22.5 percent five-year survival rate compared to those with late-stage disease at the time of diagnosis who have a less than 2 percent five-year survival.
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