Introduction
Welcome to the University Hospitals of Leicester HPB (Hepatic Pancreatic and Biliary disease) website.
The main purpose of this website is to provide information on diseases of the liver, pancreas, gallbladder and bile ducts for patients, relatives and other healthcare professionals. Below is a brief introduction to the HPB unit which is currently located on two sites at both the Leicester General Hospital and Leicester Royal Infirmary.
The main workload of our HPB unit is in treating cancers of the liver, pancreas, bile ducts and gall bladder. We are a specialist referral centre for HPB surgery managing and treating some conditions which maybe beyond the scope of smaller local hospitals. Referrals are accepted from Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Warwickshire, Northamptonshire and parts of Cambridgeshire, a catchment area of 4 million people. Every year approximately 700 new cases of cancer are treated within our department by a variety of methods including surgery, endoscopy (using telescope-like equipment), or non-surgical cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Any patients or relatives reading sections of this website should be aware that the symptoms described are shared by a variety of very common benign diseases (such as gallstones) and a few rare cancers. The point being that it is important not to be unduly alarmed, as most turn out to be due to something other than cancer, but do get them checked out by your general practitioner if you are worried.
For doctors, the site may guide your consultations with affected patients and your referral practice for investigation and management. We have devised a downloadable electronic referral form (password protected) which may be useful for streamlining referrals.
We hope you find this website both interesting and informative and look forward to receiving your feedback at the end of each section.
