The pancreas is a narrow, flat organ that lies behind the stomach and is connected to the intestinal tract by a thin tube called the pancreatic duct. It converts food into fuel for the body. The pancreas is made up of exocrine glands, which produce enzymes that aid in digestion, and endocrine glands that secrete hormones that control blood sugar (glucose) levels. Learn more about the pancreas.
Board-certified general and gastrointestinal surgeons at Brigham and Women’s Hospital specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions of the pancreas—providing the latest surgical options for pancreatitis, pancreatic cysts, rare hormone-producing tumors, such as islet cell tumors, and pancreatic cancer. Our surgeons perform high volumes of the complex Whipple procedure and spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy for pancreatic cancer, giving them significant expertise in these minimally invasive surgery techniques.
The Pancreas and Biliary Tumor Center offers patients an unparalleled treatment approach through the collaborative efforts of surgeons, physicians and scientists of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Treatment Center at Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center.
Our surgeons serve as faculty members at Harvard Medical School and train the next generation of surgeons through the Brigham's surgical residency and fellowship programs.
General and gastrointestinal surgery services are available at multiple locations in and around Boston.
