Pancreas Cyst Clinic

The Pancreas Clinic at Mount Sinai South Nassau offers extensive, specialized expertise in diagnosing and treating those with diseases of the pancreas. Highly specialized expertise and experience in pancreatic care

Pancreatologists are specialists in diagnosing and managing pancreatic disorders. With well over a thousand new patients each year on average our clinic sees many people with a spectrum of pancreatic diseases. This may include common conditions with different presentations that require different approaches to care, or conditions that are rarely diagnosed but which Mayo clinicians have seen many times.

Why contact the Pancreas Clinic?

Widely recognized experience in pancreas care
Pancreas Clinic specialists bring deep, recognized experience to managing pancreatic conditions.

Members of our group have authored national and international guidelines to disseminate best practices in pancreas care and have served as leaders of organizations interested in pancreas care.

Mount Sinai is a National Pancreas Foundation Pancreatic Cancer Center. Centers recognized by the National Pancreas Foundation go through an extensive auditing process and meet criteria developed by invited subject matter experts and patient advocates, focusing on whole-patient care for best possible outcomes and an improved quality of life.

At the Pancreas Clinic, we can effectively coordinate your care with a group of experts to offer highly specialized testing, to rapidly get the answers you need, and you'll benefit from the experience of specialists in every aspect of your care.

Our integrated care approach can provide a diagnosis and treatment plan within days that may take weeks to develop at other institutions.

In addition to pancreatologists, pancreas care may be coordinated with a team of pancreatic surgeons, interventional endoscopists, diagnostic and interventional radiologists, pathologists, and oncologists — all of whom hold a special interest in pancreatic disorders — to bring their deep experience to people with pancreatic diseases.

Minimally invasive therapies
Minimally invasive therapies including outpatient endoscopic treatments during the same visit or novel, minimally invasive surgical approaches are effective, minimize length of hospitalization and improve patient outcomes.

Rapid evaluation of concerning pancreatic masses and cysts
As one of the largest multidisciplinary health care institutions in the United States, Mayo Clinic's integrated approach allows quicker surgical and oncological consultation, which means your test results are quickly available for evaluation.

Faster, streamlined testing by experts leads to a quicker diagnosis for you, and faster therapy.

Advanced diagnosis and rapid follow-up care for pancreatic cancer
If your consultation identifies a pancreatic tumor or cancer, we further expedite your care with our oncology and surgical teams.

Mount Sinai offers advanced diagnosis and care for the condition, including advanced, minimally invasive pancreatic cancer surgeries.

Our collaborative medical practice model and breadth of expertise allow rapid consultation with multiple specialty areas, with a coordinated transition to surgery or oncology care.

During your visit, your team will provide a complete review of your diagnosis and treatment plan. Specialized pancreas nurses within our clinic assist with education for patients about their specific concerns.

Disorders commonly seen in the Pancreas Clinic
Pancreatic masses
Pancreatic cysts
Pseudocysts
Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN)
Neuroendocrine tumors
Acute pancreatitis
Walled-off pancreatic necrosis
Chronic pancreatitis
High-risk pancreas cancer screening
Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency
Autoimmune Pancreatitis
Ampullary masses
Bile duct abnormalities

Pancreatic Cyst Clinic

We provide state-of-the-art, multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cysts.

Our Multidisciplinary Pancreatic Cyst Clinic offers patients with pancreatic cysts long-term monitoring with doctors from various disciplines to provide the best possible care. This program includes pain management, radiology, interventional gastroenterologists and surgical oncologists. Patients will meet with an advanced practice provider (APP) and our physician when they are referred to our program.

The goal of the Multidisciplinary Pancreatic Cyst Clinic team is to support patients through education about their pancreatic cyst, coordinate their treatment and/or surveillance plan, and provide them with the most thorough, evidence-based care available. Our care team consists of experts from many specialties including gastroenterology, advanced endoscopy, surgery, radiology and pathology. Patients are seen via Telehealth or in-person at our Digestive Health Center in Bellmore, NY which provides ample free parking and convenient access to other medical services such as laboratory, and radiology.

Your Pancreas Clinic team is a team of specialists dedicated to your care and includes pancreatologists, pancreatic surgeons, interventional endoscopists, diagnostic and interventional radiologists, pathologists, and others. Together, they use advanced technology, sophisticated imaging tests and comprehensive examinations to obtain a detailed, accurate diagnosis of your issue. They collaborate to evaluate your condition and determine the most appropriate treatment.

Types of Pancreatic Cysts Treated:

Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Cyst (IPMN)
Solid Pseudopapillary Neoplasm
Mucinous Cystic Neoplasm
Serous Cystadenoma
Pseudocyst
Cystic Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor
Indeterminate Pancreas Cyst

What are Pancreatic Cysts?

Pancreatic cysts are incredibly common but most people won’t realize they have cysts until they get a CT or MRI scan for an unrelated medical issue.

Symptoms

Most patients with pancreatic cysts have no symptoms. However the most common symptoms of pancreatic cysts are abdominal pain or discomfort.

Diagnosis

Our providers will review your medical history and any imaging exams that have already been performed. We will also review your family history to learn if any of your other family members were diagnosed with cancers of the pancreas, liver, stomach, colon or gallbladder. This information helps us assess the risk of your pancreatic cyst and whether it is more likely to eventually become cancerous. Imaging technology is used to diagnose pancreatic cysts, including:

MRI scan and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP)
CT scan
Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and Pancreas Cyst Biopsy
Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)
Pathology and Molecular Analysis of Pancreatic Cyst Fluid

Treatment

If you have a cyst that is benign and is not causing pain, it can be monitored over time. Some cysts may resolve without treatment. Regular imaging tests may be recommended to track any changes in or growth of your cyst. Certain inflammatory cysts causing symptoms or ones that grow can be drained by an endoscopic or radiologic procedure. Some types of pancreatic cysts require surgical removal if they pose a risk of cancer. We take a multidisciplinary approach to treating and managing pancreatic cysts, evaluating the best care plan for each patient.

Patients have access to multiple ongoing research studies on new diagnostic and treatment methods for pancreatic cysts. Our physicians are dedicated to research and actively pursue advancing care including both diagnostic tests and surgical care for patients with pancreatic cysts.

Pancreas Cyst Surveillance
Most pancreatic cysts, especially small cysts, can be safely monitored with imaging and endoscopic ultrasound over time to assess for any changes. Our team will monitor your cyst with routine office visits, imaging, and endoscopic ultrasound (if needed). This approach allows us to watch for changes in the characteristics of your cyst that could indicate cancer. Our objective is to find these changes as early as possible and arrange for surgical removal of the cyst if necessary. Typically, patients undergoing surveillance will visit every 6-12 months for screening with regular CT or MRI imaging.

Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection Program
In addition to pancreatic cysts and new onset diabetes, patients with a family history of pancreatic cancer, or certain inherited genes (e.g. BRCA2, BRCA1, PALB2, ATM, CDK2NA (P16), Peutiz Jeghers Syndrome, Lynch Syndrome and Hereditary Pancreatitis) may be at increased risk for developing pancreatic cancer. After evaluation in the Multidisciplinary Pancreatic Cyst Clinic, some patients may be referred for Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection evaluation, which offers patients and their families access to in depth analysis of familial and genetic risk factors for pancreatic cancer.

Doctors:
Frank Gress, M.D.
Rashmi Advani, M.D.
Bhanu Singh, M.D.

2750 Merrick Road
Bellmore, NY
Phone: 516-991-5626

Mount Sinai has been recognized as the best gastroenterology and GI surgery hospital in the nation by U.S. News & World Report in every year since, 1990 when the rankings were first established.