This animation may only be used in support of a single legal proceeding and for no other purpose. Read our License Agreement for details. To license this image for other purposes, click here.
MEDICAL ANIMATION TRANSCRIPT: Pancreatic cancer is a disease that begins in one of your digestive organs, the pancreas. It is located just behind the stomach. Your pancreas is made up of a head, body, and tail. It contains two main cell types. One type called exocrine cells produce digestive enzymes that are secreted into tubes called ducts. The enzymes traveling through ducts eventually empty into your small intestine, where they aid in digestion. The other type of pancreatic cell is called an endocrine cell. Endocrine cells are clustered into groups known as the islet of Langerhans. These cells produce the hormones insulin and glucagon which are released into the bloodstream to help control your blood sugar level. Pancreatic cancer starts as mutations of pancreatic cells causing them to grow very quickly and uncontrollably. The mutated cells will often clump together to form tumors which can interfere with the normal pancreas function. Like this tumor most pancreatic cancers form in the ducts and are called adenocarcinomas or exocrine tumors. Endocrine tumors which developed from islets of Langerhans are much less common. Your doctor will recommend treatment based on the type of cell involved, location, and stage of your cancer. Treatment may include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, or a combination of treatments. There are three surgical options to treat pancreatic cancer. During a Whipple procedure also called a pancreatoduodenectomy your surgeon will remove the head of your pancreas, your gallbladder, and portions of your common bile duct, small intestine, and stomach. The remaining structures will be arranged in such a way to allow continued digestion. In a total pancreatectomy your surgeon will remove your entire pancreas, common bile duct, gallbladder, spleen, and surrounding lymph nodes, as well as portions of your stomach and small intestine. During a distal pancreatectomy your surgeon will removed the body and tail of the pancreas as well as your spleen. Radiation or radiotherapy uses high energy rays to kill cancer cells in the treated area only. If the radiation originates from a machine outside your body, the treatment is called external beam radiation therapy. Radiation therapy placed inside your body in the form of radioactive pellets is called brachytherapy or internal radiation therapy. Chemotherapy uses drugs to stop the progression of cancer by either killing the cells or preventing further growth. Systemic chemotherapy is taken by mouth or an injection allowing the drugs to travel through the bloodstream to reach cancer cells throughout the body. Regional chemotherapy involves the injection of the drug into the arteries surrounding the tumor allowing immediate delivery to the cancer cells. Targeted therapies focus on specific abnormalities of cancer cells. One targeted therapy erlotinib is thought to stop tumor growth by blocking chemical signals that initiate cell growth and division.
"Your firm is great to work with and, most importantly for me, you get the
job done on time and with the utmost professionalism. You should be proud of
all those you employ, from KJ to Ben B. I've been especially pleased over
the years with the work of Brian and Alice, both of whom seem to tolerate my
idiosycratic compulsion to edit, but I've not found a bad apple in the bunch
(and, as you know, I've used your firm a bunch!).
I look forward to our continued professional relationship."
Kenneth J. Allen Kenneth Allen & Associates
Valparaiso, IN
"Thanks, and your illustrations were effective in a $3
million dollar verdict last Friday."
Joseph M. Prodor Trial Lawyer White Rock, British Columbia
"Medical illustrations are essential evidence in personal injury litigation and MLA is simply the best I've found at producing high-quality illustrations. Your illustrators are not only first-class artists, but creative and responsive. Your turn around time is as good as it gets. My clients have won over $60 million in jury verdicts and I can't recall a case which did not include one of your exhibits. On behalf of those clients, thanks and keep up the great work!"
"I wanted to thank you for the terrific job you did illustrating my client's
injuries. The case was settled at the pre-suit mediation, and I believe a
good part of the success we had was due to the medical legal art you
prepared.
Your work received the ultimate compliment at the conclusion of the mediation. The hospital risk manager took the exhibit with them at the
conclusion of mediation, and will be using it to train nurses on how to
prevent bed sores..."
Steven G. Koeppel Troy, Yeslow & Koeppel, P.A. Fort Myers, FL
Medical Legal Art creates medical demonstrative evidence (medical
illustrations, drawings, pictures, graphics, charts, medical animations,
anatomical models, and interactive presentations) for use during legal
proceedings, including research, demand letters, client conferences,
depositions, arbitrations, mediations, settlement conferences, mock jury
trials and for use in the courtroom. We do not provide legal or medical
advice. If you have legal questions, you should find a lawyer with whom you
can discuss your case issues. If you have medical questions, you should seek the advice of a healthcare provider.
