Oh dear Stella, I am so very sorry to hear this - do you know if it has been caught early enough for surgery?
Mandy is right, it is not a nice illness and you will need to brace yourself before surfing for information - or even reading the rest of this post.
Peter is correct.
Most (65%) pancreatic cancers are in the “head” of the pancreas, the remainder are in the body and tail (15%) or diffusely affect the whole pancreas.
Pancreatic cancer tends to present with jaundice (75% of cases), especially in the pancreatic head because the pancreatic duct and bile duct join up before running into the first part of the small bowel (the duodenum) so blockage of the bile duct is common. Weight loss (in 50%), abdominal pain (40%), and nausea (10%) are also common presenting symptoms.
Survival is not good, because almost all pancreatic cancers have already spread to distant organs - only 15-20% are suitable for surgery and even for those patients the outlook is poor. There has just been a study using a chemotherapy regimen called FOLFIRINOX after surgery in very fit patients (it is a tough combination even by chemotherapy standards) this showed an average overall survival of 54 months with the new chemo compared with 35 months for the previous standard chemotherapy - but that still means only perhaps 40-45% of patients making it to 5 years.
If the cancer has spread chemotherapy can be used to try to slow the progress a bit but even then the average is about 12 months with the FOLFIRINOX treatment compared to 7 months for the older chemo regimens - but you have to be pretty fit for the more aggressive chemo and not all patients will be able to tolerate it.
For pancreatic cancer which has spread only 5-10% make it to 2 years and only 1-2% of patients make it as far as 5 years.
Thank you Paul. Mmmm… grim reading. I need to find out more, delicately, without intruding/upsetting the family. Meanwhile, I will continue to be my normal, cheerful/helpful self… anything else is likely to upset them even more…
[quote=“smwsplr, post:11, topic:23210, full:true”] Meanwhile, I will continue to be my normal, cheerful/helpful self… anything else is likely to upset them even more…
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By doing just that you will make their journey infinitely more tolerable, Stella, bless your kind, sturdy heart xx
Sorry Pete @Peter_Goble , that just sounded so much like what happened to my friend. I guess everything is very connected in that area. As expected you know what you’re talking about and I do not.
Absolutely pas graaaaave, Mandy! These things are very often not clear-cut, because the human body is very “open-plan” and, like the old song goes, “the nose bone’s connected to the cheekbone, the cheekbone’s connected to the jawbone, the jawbone’s connected to the neckbone etc etc”… So praise the name of the Lord!
A few years ago a distant relative was taken ill on Boxing Day and went into hospital. He passed away on New Years Eve of pancreatic cancer. Harrys case was extreme but as others have said it’s a nasty b@gger. I would discourage anyone from googling
And if the desire to google becomes too much then stick to sites like cancer research uk, which gives realistic but measured advice. But probably best to encourage your friends to stick to talking to their doctors.
The only other thing I know is that it can be one of the most painful of the cancers. Sorry.
My wife died from this agressive disease a few years ago. She was treated (chemo) in both UK and France. I understand how difficult it is to absorb this news, and it can be hard to take in what medics are saying and what the prognosis and treatment options are. I would recommend two organisations for support -
Cancer Support France - https://cancersupportfrance.org/ - can provide support by phone or in person (depending where you are) - not medical advice but emotional and logistical support - by which I mean how to navigate the french health system to get the quickest response (speed is vital)
PC UK - see https://www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk/ and speak-to-a-nurse - Freephone 0808 801 0707
These are specialist nurses with specific knowledge of pancreatic cancer who can talk you through your individual situation and the options available.
Good luck
A heart-felt Thank You to each and every one of you who has taken the trouble to post here…
It is clear that difficult times lie ahead… I will NOT Google… you have all told me quite enough… but I will discuss with my own doctor when OH goes for his 3-monthly checks in a couple of weeks…
In the meantime… I will be trying to help/support my friends …
Also worth looking at are The Truth about Cancer and Truly Heal on natural ways to help the body to heal itself including cancer.
Sorry it looks a muddle but these websites are definitely worth looking at. I have come across them because I am a Functional Medicine coach.
I hope your friend feels he can try something new since orthodox medicine has virtually nothing to offer. Cutting out sugar and eating only a small amount of low sugar fruit will start the journey and is most important. If I can help further please feel free to ask.
I wish him good luck.
Anne Murray
Please do not watch “The Truth about Cancer” as - whatever else it contains - it does not contain much in the way of truth on the subject of cancer. It is unremitting, self-serving, quackery.
Judging by the title the 2nd video falls into the same category.
Immunotherapy is an interesting subject and showing much promise in many types of cancer so that is legitimate, but not in routine clinical practice at present for pancreatic cancer (at least not in the UK). There might be some trials open though if it is appropriate for a patient to enter them.
Dear Stella. There are many comments below but just want to share what my oncologists said to me this week about pancreatic cancer. Apparently the French health service has been researching this as it relates to far too many in France that were unexplained. He suggested there were clusters around northern vineyards and that further study was needed to look at environmental / pesticide use, or something other. It is an aggressive cancer and the cancer support group here in the south have been fabulous. One other comment: if you can get medicinal cannabis, it will help enormously. bon courage.
While evidence from studies is a bit inconsistent/inconclusive it would not be controversial to suggest there is a link with alcohol - in which case you wouldn’t necessarily need to consider pesticides when investigating a cluster close to a vinyard.
perhaps taking a wider view, all cancers are on the increase and environmental factors are a factor. Apparently France has more than it’s fair share of pancreatic cancer which is why they’re doing the research. It would be good to find out more, not just my anecdotal comments.
I hope nobody minds…but I am going to close this Thread. I opened it…and have found lots of useful info… which I can refer back to as and when. I do not want to have to wade through other stuff though… at a time when I will probably/possibly be feeling a little fragile…
xx
