Pancreatic diseases on the rise in South India, warn experts

HYDERABAD: Pancreatic diseases are on the rise in 'South India,' warn Surgical Gastroenterologists at Yashoda Hospital's National Conference and Live Workshop on the Most Advanced, Robotic "Pancreatic Surgeries. The workshop, which concluded successfully on Sunday, drew 500+ Surgical Gastroenterologists from across India.

The pancreas is a vital and significant organ in the human digestive system. Pancreatic illnesses are diverse, complex, prevalent, and, most critically, hard to prevent. The majority of pancreatic illnesses and pancreatic malignancies require surgery.

Pancreas surgery is the most complicated surgery that can be performed on the human body. Pancreas surgery is only performed by extremely experienced, skilled, and dedicated surgeons. The most recent available treatment for pancreatic tumors and other pancreatic disorders is minimally invasive surgery such as laparoscopic and, most recently, robotic operations.

“Every year almost 1.4 million people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer . Unfortunately, for most of those people, the disease is diagnosed too late to be cured. Less than 10 percent of people live five years following a diagnosis. Identification of risk factors and methods to either reduce or eliminate the factors, play an important role in prevention of cancer. Lifestyle factors as tobacco smoking, heavy alcohol consumption, obesity and physical inactivity pose higher risk for PC. Tobacco smoking as the cause contributes substantially to the high mortality rates of PC. Among non-modifiable risk factors, age >50 years, male gender have elevated risk.” Said Dr. Pavan Gorukanti Director, Yashoda group of hospitals.

Pancreatic disorders are complex syndromes that result from many etiologies. There has been a rising trend of pancreatic disorders across India. Problems with the pancreas can lead to many health problems. such as acute pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, and pancreatic cyst. Cystic fibrosis. It is reported that the southern states of India have the highest incidences of acute pancreatitis, ranging from 200 out of every 100,000 people. Alcohol and gallstones were the most common etiological factors of acute pancreatitis. Pancreatic cancer is a rare cancer and is ranked 4th in incidence and 7th in mortality in the world. By 2030, it may become the second-leading site in terms of mortality. India is no exception to this phenomenon, and variations have been observed in different regions, with the northeast showing higher rates, said Dr. Vijay Kumar Bada.

Yashoda Hospital's Senior Surgical Gastroenterologist and Minimal Access and Robotic Surgeon, Dr. Vijay Kumar Bada, is well known for advanced GI surgeries and cancers and performs such complex pancreatic surgeries by laparoscopic and advanced robotic techniques regularly.

Yashoda Hospital in Hitech City has got the latest generation of robotic systems. There are many young surgeons who are interested in doing pancreatic surgeries and in understanding the various complexities involved in major pancreatic surgeries. Lack of exposure, expertise, technology, and knowledge of pancreatic diseases and surgeries makes many surgeons shy away from undertaking pancreatic surgeries.

On March 11 and 12, 2022, at Yashoda Hospitals in Hitech City, a national conference on Pancreatic surgeries-an update was organised by the Department of Surgical Gastroenterology & Robotic Sciences in collaboration with the Indian Hepato-Pancreato Biliary Surgeons Association (IHPBA). IHPBA is the national association of all Indian surgeons who perform work on the liver, pancreas, and biliary systems.

The conference included a live surgical workshop on both the days where several pancreatic surgeries were performed by robotic, laparoscopic and open technique and telecasted live to 500 + surgeons audience. The operating surgeons and the audience interacted live, and all of the surgeons comprehended, learned, and clarified the numerous complexities involved in pancreatic procedures.

The meeting also included didactic presentations and the most recent advances in the field of pancreatic surgery. Eminent surgeons from throughout the country explored contentious aspects of pancreatic surgery.

More than 500 practising surgeons were present at the event. Almost 20 eminent national academics in the field of pancreas from throughout the country participated. This was the first conference of its kind in Hyderabad, where the entire spectrum of Pancreatic disorders was discussed and all forms of Pancreatic procedures were conducted live utilising cutting-edge equipment. Dr. G. S. Rao, Managing Director, and Dr. Pavan Gorukanti, Director, Yashoda group of hospitals, officially inaugurated the conference.