Who is a good candidate for the Whipple procedure, and what are the contraindications?
Good candidates are patients with localized, resectable tumors in the pancreatic head, duodenum, or distal bile duct, without distant metastasis. Contraindications include advanced metastatic disease, severe comorbidities (e.g., uncompensated cirrhosis or heart failure), or poor performance status. A thorough preoperative evaluation is essential to confirm suitability.