Have you survived pancreatic cancer?

Question

I survived with a permanent disability at age 40. I'm now 60. Anyone else?

Answer 1

My mother survived it at the age of 81. As you know, survival stats on this cancer are grim, only 3 to 6 months. She was fortunate to catch it early because she got a CT scan for something else unrelated, and they saw a tumor on the tail of the pancreas. Surgery was able to get it. It was done by only removing part of the pancreas and some surrounding areas. Fortunately, there was no removal of part of the stomach or other critical organs as is done normally if the cancer is spread more.

Even with this cancer detected early on only part of the pancreas, there was a little spreading to the liver which was later cleaned up with chemotherapy. She is now 82 and still doing well, but must continue maintenance chemo to keep it from coming back.

Pancreatic cancer spreads very fast, but responds very well to medications such as Tarcevea as first line treatment, and Chemotherapies such as Taxotere. This assumes you catch it early enough. There is a new med being tested in clinical trials called Rexin-G when it gets to the point where it no longer responds to traditional treatments.

The dilemma with this cancer is how can you catch it early? If have symptoms, it is too late. A CT scan with contrast will catch it, but because that is such an expensive scan and uses some radiation in the tracers, doctors do not use it to screen this cancer. It is such a fast spreading cancer, you would have to do too many of these scans, every 3 to 5 months to catch it early enough to survive this cancer. There is a blood test CA 19-9, but it does not detect it early enough to survive it.

The same happened with a friend of my mother, whose daughter was diagnosed with it at the age of 40. She caught it early on a CT scan for another problem, they saw it, did immediate surgery, did follow-up treatments, and mostly eradicated it. She is now surviving it with very close watching and follow-up chemo related treatments. That is the only way I know of surviving it. You have to be lucky enough to do a CT scan for something else, and notice it.

Answer 2

wow! that is indeed amazing! Congrats to you. I knew a young man that had it and he died within months of his dx. I too had thought that it was always fatal. I know you said you have a permanent disability but that is still certainly better than the alternative. Did you have any special treatments or anything that you feel helped you overcome this dreaded cancer?

Answer 3

my sister was diagnosed on 7/20... your story has given me hope. she had the whipple surgery, just finished chemo and started radiation yesterday, 5x for 5 weeks.... i will print this for her to see.

congrats and keep fighting!

Answer 4

I fear this kind of cancer. I always thought it was fatal. My grandfather died from it years ago.

I'm glad there are survivors out there!

Answer 5

good for you! thats amazing