Questions about digestion?
If you have questions about your diet or digestion, speak to your doctor, nurse or dietitian.
You can also speak to our specialist nurses on our free Support Line.
Read all the NICE guidelines for pancreatic cancer
- Explaining the NICE guidelines for diagnosing and managing pancreatic cancer
- NICE guideline 1: Diagnosing pancreatic cancer
- NICE guideline 2: Specialist pancreatic multidisciplinary teams
- NICE guideline 3: Working out how far pancreatic cancer has spread (staging)
- NICE guideline 4: Emotional (psychological) support
- NICE guideline 5: Managing pain
- NICE guideline 6: Managing diet and nutrition
- NICE guideline 7: Relieving a blocked bile duct or duodenum
- NICE guideline 8: Managing resectable (operable) and borderline resectable pancreatic cancer
- NICE guideline 9: Managing pancreatic cancer that can’t be removed with surgery (inoperable or unresectable cancer)
The pancreas plays an important role in digesting food, by producing enzymes which break down food. Pancreatic cancer can affect this process. This can cause symptoms like weight loss, indigestion, tummy pain, feeling sick, bloating and wind, and changes to your poo.
Problems with digestion can be managed with pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT), which replaces the enzymes normally made by the pancreas. Brands of PERT include Creon®, Nutrizym® or Pancrex®.
6.1 If you have pancreatic cancer that can’t be removed with surgery, you should be offered PERT to manage problems with digestion.
6.2 If you are having surgery to remove pancreatic cancer, your doctor should assess whether you need PERT before and after your surgery.
6.3 Fish oil supplements shouldn’t be used to help manage weight loss for people with cancer that can’t be removed (inoperable pancreatic cancer).
There has been some research looking at fish oil supplements for managing weight loss, but there is no evidence that it works.
6.4 If you have had a Whipple’s operation or pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy and are able to eat, you should be given food soon after the operation. You should have food either orally (by mouth) or through a feeding tube, rather than through a tube into a vein (parenteral feeding).
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Published: April 2025
Review date: April 2028