'Dua Anti-reflux Valve' Found To Improve Quality Of Life For Bile Duct/Pancreatic Cancer Patients

This bile duct stent with the "Dua Anti-Reflux Valve," named after its inventor, was cleared for use by FDA this year. The Dua stent, for short, has also been approved for use in Europe and Canada. The bile duct carries bile from the liver to the intestines. When this duct is obstructed from cancers of the pancreas, gallbladder, or bile duct, bile begins to backup resulting in jaundice, itching, fever, chills, other organ malfunctions and death. About 30,000 new patients with pancreatic cancer and 4,000 new cases of bile duct cancer are diagnosed in the United States each year, most frequently in older people.

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