The body's deepest organs, operated on with honest judgement.
HPB surgery is where restraint matters most: the right assessment of whether an operation will truly help — then segment-oriented liver resections or a full Whipple, planned around how the liver regenerates.
Why these cancers need a specialist
Cancers of the liver, gallbladder, bile ducts and pancreas hide deep in the upper abdomen. The liver is unique among organs — part of it can be removed because it regenerates. That single fact shapes all modern liver surgery: how much can go, how much must stay, and in what order operations should happen.
Pancreatic surgery carries a serious reputation for the same reason these tumours are difficult to reach — the anatomy is crowded with vessels and vital structures. Outcome here tracks directly with surgeon experience and case volume.
Which is why this practice begins every HPB conversation with an honest operability assessment: sometimes the answer is surgery; sometimes it is staged treatment first; sometimes the truthful advice is that an operation would do more harm than good. You will always be told which.
Eight signs that deserve investigation
Jaundice is never normal in adults. Combined with any of the following, it should never wait.
- ①Yellowing of the eyes (jaundice) — even when there is no pain at all.
- ②Widespread itching without rash, worse at night.
- ③Pale, clay-coloured stools that stay pale across days.
- ④Dark urine, like strong tea, alongside the above.
- ⑤Pain in the upper-right abdomen, constant or recurring.
- ⑥Sudden-onset diabetes in adulthood, especially when weight is also falling.
- ⑦Unexplained weight loss accompanying any of the symptoms above.
- ⑧Fever appearing together with jaundice — this combination needs same-week attention.
Cancers treated in this region
◆Primary Liver Tumours
Cancers arising in the liver itself, treated with segment-oriented resection planning.
◆Liver Metastases
Secondary liver deposits from bowel and other primaries — often still surgically curable.
◆Gallbladder Cancer
Radical cholecystectomy performed to proper oncological standards.
◆Bile Duct Cancer
Cholangiocarcinoma managed with bile-duct resection and hepaticojejunostomy reconstruction.
◆Pancreas Cancer
Whipple and distal pancreatectomy pathways with honest upfront assessment.
◆Small-Remnant Planning
ALPPS/PVE two-stage strategies when the future liver needs help growing first.
Operations performed here
- ◆Segment-oriented liver resectionsIncluding right and left hepatectomy — mapped lobe by lobe so only what must go, goes.
- ◆Whipple procedurePancreaticoduodenectomy for cancers of the pancreatic head and periampullary region.
- ◆Distal pancreatectomy + splenectomyFor body-and-tail tumours, done with vascular control as standard.
- ◆Radical cholecystectomyGallbladder cancer cleared with proper nodal and liver-bed margins.
- ◆Bile duct resection & hepaticojejunostomyRemoving the involved duct and rebuilding drainage safely.
- ◆Two-stage strategies (ALPPS/PVE)Growing the remaining liver first, then clearing the disease — planned before cutting.
From first visit to full recovery
Reports reviewed personally
Scans read again from scratch — HPB decisions live in imaging details.
Honest operability assessment
Surgery recommended only when it genuinely serves you.
Volume mapping
The future remnant liver measured; growth strategies arranged if needed.
Surgery
Segment-oriented resection or Whipple with careful vascular handling.
Recovery together
Daily rounds, nutrition support and family updates throughout the stay.
Surveillance
A scheduled follow-up plan agreed before you leave.
Families usually ask…
It is major surgery and deserves respect — outcomes depend on planning quality more than luck. Modern liver surgery maps the segments precisely, measures what will remain, and stages the operation when the remnant needs time to grow. Careful selection is the real safety measure.
Yes — uniquely among human organs, the liver regenerates. This is why removing up to a large portion can still allow normal life, and why two-stage strategies exist: let the remainder grow first, then clear the rest.
The pancreas sits behind everything vital, and the operation reconnects three systems at once. Complication rates fall sharply with experienced hands and structured aftercare — which is exactly why every case here gets an honest assessment before committing.
No — stones are a common cause. But painless jaundice in an adult always deserves urgent investigation, because when it does signal a tumour, earlier diagnosis changes everything. Never sit on it.
Often the opposite — selected liver metastases from colorectal cancer are among the few spread-disease situations where surgery can still aim for cure. Each case is assessed on number, size and position, honestly.