[gedsic]

Calling a glucose monitoring system with an insulin pump an artificial pancreas is a bit misleading, considering all the other functions the pancreas has.

[colsandurz]

This also isn't an artificial pancreas because you still have to wear an insulin pump and insulin pumps aren't artificial pancreases. To me, an artificial pancreas acts like the pancreas I already have - it monitors and excretes insulin so I never have to think about what my blood sugar is or think about it dropping low or spiking.

[mrfusion]

What are the other functions?

[odabaxok]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancreas#Function

"It is possible for one to live without a pancreas, provided that the person takes insulin for proper regulation of blood glucose concentration and pancreatic enzyme supplements to aid digestion."

[mrfusion]

Interesting. I've always wondered why we don't simply remove the entire pancreas for cases of pancreatic cancer?

[OopsCriticality]

Because there is no clinical evidence for the survival benefit of total pancreatectomy over a Whipple.

There's absolutely nothing simple about surgery when the pancreas is involved.

[mrfusion]

Do you have a citation for that? I'd be curious to read more.

Intiutively it sounds wrong since I'd image any cancer that comes back after the whipple is coming from left over cancer cells in the pancreas, no?

[agumonkey]

It's saddening that a possibly avoidable organ leads to the most "lethal" cancer.