My dad has just been diagnosed with cancer...?

Question

My dad has just been diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas and I need some help please, I'm looking for more information about the diease and survival rates, he is 48 and really healthy, doesn't eat junk food and has an active job. I've looked on some websites and they say that the the survival rate for 5 years is less than 3%, although they also say that the common age is 60 - 80 which I guess could attribute to the low survival rate. I would be really greatful if people who have had any kind of experiance with this could respond as I'm really struggling to cope.

Thank You

Answer 1

First let me say that my thoughts are with you and your family.
Unfortunately the news is not good. Pancreatic cancer is usually very agressive and destructive. I have nursed several patients with it and the survival rate isnt good at any age....;

Answer 2

I am a radiation therapist at the Indiana University Cancer Center in Indianapolis, Indiana. I have treated hundreds of people with pancreatic cancer over the 6 years I've worked there. I've come to the conclusion that If I was ever stricken with pancreatic cancer, I would not elect to get treatment. I would rather just have some pain medicine and take a vacation with the time I have left.

You can seek the most aggressive treatments options available today, along with chemo, vaccines, radiation therapy, etc. But the harsh reality is that the survival rates remain unchanged. In my experience the treatment will only make you feel worse for your remaining time.

The best advice I can give you is to make all the preparations now while your father is in sound mind and make sure you have a family or other support system in place to help you cope emotionally.

Answer 3

My papaw was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in August. He had the Whipple procedure done on August 15th. We almost lost him after the surgery due to sever hemoraaging. I your dad is a candidate for surgery, I would recommend finding a surgeon that is experienced with this procedure, as it can make a HUGE difference in his quality of life and survival time. It took my papaw so long to heal enough from the surgery that he missed the first month of chemo. They say that the healthier a person is at the start of chemo, the better the results. By the time my papaw started, another tumor had formed and grown to over 7 cm.....that is how aggressive this cancer is. Papaw is still undergoing chemo and also taking Tarceva, which is VERY expensive. He is still with us, but his quality of life is poor. We have a Dr. appt. tomorrow, in which we will schedule another PET scan to see if the drugs are working.

We are, however, thankful that he is with us for now and that we didn't lose him the day of the surgery. We are trying to make every day count, no matter what the outcome will be...and in the process, I have spoiled him rotten!! lol

I recommend the following website.....request and information packet as well and they will send you a pretty pin to wear......by the way, November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness month.......

Answer 4

Several aspects can play a key role in determining survival from pancreatic cancer.

Is it operable. Occassionally tumours of the pancreatic tail or body are able to be removed via distal pancreatectomy, with tumours at the head or the ampulla, amenable to a (Pylorus preserving) pancreaticduodenectomy, known as a Whipples. One of the reasons pancreatic cancer is so fatal is that it isn't common to be able to operate due to vascular invasion of the SMA and SMV and the splenic vein and artery. There are so many structures around the head of the pancreas that surgical resection is difficult. Even in those patients who go for an operation and the tumour is resected macroscopically, microscopically there could be residual tumour, and many resected tumour already have nodal involvement, even surgical resection isn't always curative. Given this, and the 5-10% mortality rate of the whipples procedure, life expectancy can be around a year, with a handful of patients living beyond that.

The medical team will probably been keen to get what is known as a tissue diagnosis, so they can offer chemotherapy. This can be quite helpful, especially if it shows neuroendocrine tumour. This is common in the pancreas, but is much less aggressive than adenocarcinoma of the pancreas, and life expectancy can be several years.

For an inoperable tumour, it depends really on whether it has spread to the liver already, amongst other clinical factors i'd have to see to assess, but most patients have a median survival of around 6 months. This can be extended sometimes by a further few months with response to Gemcitabine, the key chemotherapy drug.

Pancreatic cancer isn't pleasant, and i hope my comments aren't too downbeat, but i think it's best to be honest than to give you false hope. Speak to the specialist biliary nurse at the hospital, and contact MacMillan nurses as soon as possible.

Answer 5

You can choose to do nothing or decide that you have little to loose and try something different. I believe, there is always hope...
Talk to your doctor about any clinical trials available in your area (and if money is not a constrain - nationally). Look for stages 2 or 3. National Cancer Institute (www.cancer.gov) publishes these studies, but without doctor's help you will not be able to understand their nature.
My mom has brain tumor and should have been dead six months ago. We are still fighting. We do combo of a clinical trial and non-traditional medicine. It's very time- and energy consuming...
Your dad is young and has much better chances than most of people contributing to grim statistics.
You know what's very important - stand against the disease as a family. Everyone in your family right now needs each other help, and as long as you are together - you will win from cancer.

Answer 6

Firstly I am sorry to hear about your dad..I know from bitter experience how devastating it is when a loved one gets cancer. When my dad got diagnosed..I thought it was the worst thing I had ever had to deal with. A good information source is the www.cancerbacup.org.uk...I learned a lot from them and even had one to one free advice from one of their nurses who was so understanding and supportive both during dads illness and after he passed away. My dad was healthy, active and didn;t smoke...cancer doesn;t seem to care who it attacks. Your dad should be getting support and advice from the hospital...has it spread anywhere else? What treatment will they be offering him? Is there a prognosis or is it too early to tell? These are questions that the oncologist helping your dad should be addressing. In the meantime, without knowing the extent of the cancer, it would be unfair to give bad news or false hope....but I hope you and your family are supporting each other and your dad during this worrying time and that things turn out so much better for you...I am thinkin of you and your family and your dad and wish you all well....please feel free to mail me if you need to...take care xxxx

Answer 7

Oh I have bben here where you are now with my mother the best thing i can advice you is to speak to his oncology nurse who are at the hospital the ywill give you all the info you need sweetie its a horrible time but hospitals now have such fantastic resources however on e book i advise is phillip day cancer what we are dying to know!! all about nutrtion and reversalo cancer theres a los a drink he can drink calles inner light supergreens which alkalises the system takes away all acid its said that cancer cannot live in an acid bodyxxx any more info e mail me you will cope but it is a really hard testing time my lovexxx

Answer 8

Hey I'm really sorry for your father.
If he's been diagonized in the early stages of the disease he may be cured. If not, he may survive for 8/10 years or more. I've seen some people live for about 15 years( still they are coping with the disease) with cancer. But there'll be a need of positive attitude from you , your father and your family. Of course good diet is a must.
Keep patience.
May God bless.

Answer 9

MY HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES GO TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY AT THIS TIME. CANCER IS NEVER AN EASY DIAGNOSIS TO BE GIVEN. LIKE MANY, IT HAS AN IMPACT THAT EXTENDS FAR BEYOND THE PATIENT, AND REACHES PAST THE HERE AND NOW.

PANCREATIC CANCER IS DIFFICULT TO TREAT FOR MANY REASONS, THE MOST COMMON BEING THAT BY THE TIME THE PRIMARY TUMOUR IN THE PANCREAS IS CAUSING SYMPTOMS THAT WOULD CAUSE YOUR DAD TO SEEK MEDICAL ADVICE, THE CANCER HAS GOTTEN SO BIG, ITS ALREADY SPREAD TO OTHER ORGANS.

THE PANCREAS IS ALSO A VERY DIFFICULT ORGAN TO OPERATE UPON BECAUSE IT HAS A COMPLEX ANATOMY AND BLOOD SUPPLY, AND ALSO PERFORMS A NUMBER OF ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS FOR THE BODY THAT TO REMOVE IT WOULD RESULT IN VERY COMPLEX AND DIFFICULT MEDICAL TREATMENT.

THAT SAID, I'M NOT AWARE OF THE DETAILS OF YOUR FATHERS CASE AND AS YOU SAY YOURSELF, HE IS COMPARATIVLY YOUNG COMPARED TO THE PEOPLE WHO USUALLY DEVELOP CANCER OF THE PANCREAS. INDEED, IF HE IS OTHERWISE FIT AND WELL, THERE MAY BE HOPE FOR HIM YET. HOWEVER, WHAT TREATMENT HE WILL BE SUITABLE FOR WOULD ONLY BE SUGGESTED BY THE CONSULTANT LOOKING AFTER HIM.

I WISH YOU, YOUR DAD AND YOUR FAMILY THE BEST IN THIS TRYING TIME, AND KEEP STRONG FOR EACH OTHER.

Answer 10

My Mum had pancreatic cancer - your dad is young as most people are older, but everyone is different. Don't know if you are in the UK, this is a helpful website with information about different cancers and treatments,also carers groups. Can I also say that the best thing you can do is to be there for him, support him and help him to live, I spent ages running around looking for cures, being an expert in cancer and treatment and often forgetting that my Mum just needed me, doctors are there to help your Dad fight the cancer - you just be there for him and please talk to other carers, it does help,it's OK to be afraid, angry and pissed off. Love to you all xx http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk

Answer 11

Pancreatic cancer has a very high mortality rate. I would attack this w/ the up most aggression. First i would get on the web and search for all clinical research programs that your father may be able to fit into. Then I would contact a major university and look into their oncology program. Good luck and there is alot to be said for a positive attitude.