Thanks, and LOL... I've read most of that content a hundred times over the past 3 years since my own diagnosis, but really I just copy/organize/reword/paste from other sources while hoping I don't insert any errors and praying I never steer anyone wrong. If I cited every reference I stole from, the posts would be unreadable.
STANDARD DISCLAIMER, EXPANDED: I almost failed 9th grade Biology 46 years ago, and only crammed enough to test out of BSC101 in college 4 years later on the 2nd try.
Everything I've learned since then came from researching a disease in family/friends/self, asking medical professionals a lot of questions, and following the posts and links provided here by @stageivsurvivor and others. Thanks indeed to all for sharing here!
I only speak with authority about electrons 🙂 and I've humbly learned that all the medical knowledge I've acquired is kindergarten-level (at best) compared to an actual oncologist or geneticist.
I'm wondering about liver lesions from pancreatic cancer
Is chemo the only treatment?
I've heard about ablation and also injections right into the lesion
I'm wondering about liver lesions from pancreatic cancer
Is chemo the only treatment?
I've heard about ablation and also injections right into the lesion
I'm a scientific sample of one (!), and I'm not any sort of medical professional, so please take my response with all the appropriate caution. I was diagnosed in April 2023 as stage 4 because my surgeon saw flat lesions during my staging laparoscopy. Since then, I've asked my oncologist about various treatments besides chemo. Examples: HIPEC (the heated intraperitoneal chemo), high-dose radiation, proton beam radiation, surgery. In every instance, my oncologist said no, they're not for me. If I think about it, it seems very logical. For example, there's no guarantee that surgery would catch and remove every lesion and every cell. Radiation and proton beam therapy are so targeted that there's no way they could hit every affected area. The HIPEC treatment would make me extremely sick, he said. And so on. So I believe what he's telling me is correct in my case. That said, I urge you to ask and research and consider all your options, because you may be luckier than I am. I'm curious--what kind of injections would go into the lesions? What is the drug?
I'm a scientific sample of one (!), and I'm not any sort of medical professional, so please take my response with all the appropriate caution. I was diagnosed in April 2023 as stage 4 because my surgeon saw flat lesions during my staging laparoscopy. Since then, I've asked my oncologist about various treatments besides chemo. Examples: HIPEC (the heated intraperitoneal chemo), high-dose radiation, proton beam radiation, surgery. In every instance, my oncologist said no, they're not for me. If I think about it, it seems very logical. For example, there's no guarantee that surgery would catch and remove every lesion and every cell. Radiation and proton beam therapy are so targeted that there's no way they could hit every affected area. The HIPEC treatment would make me extremely sick, he said. And so on. So I believe what he's telling me is correct in my case. That said, I urge you to ask and research and consider all your options, because you may be luckier than I am. I'm curious--what kind of injections would go into the lesions? What is the drug?
I did a super-speedy Google search and found this: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/pancreatic-cancer/treating/ablative-techniques.html#:~:text=Radiofrequency%20ablation%20(RFA)%20uses%20high,and%20destroys%20the%20cancer%20cells.
There are ablation techniques, but the article says these are rarely used in pancreatic cancer (I don't know why) and uses only the term tumor, not lesion. That makes me think that these techniques are most appropriate for a tumor that's self-contained and hasn't spread, which, to me, wouldn't include lesions. But again, I'm not a medical professional. You might ask your PA friend if this is what they're referring to. Perhaps someone on the board who's had this done or who's considered this will chime in with better info than I can provide.
I did a super-speedy Google search and found this: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/pancreatic-cancer/treating/ablative-techniques.html#:~:text=Radiofrequency%20ablation%20(RFA)%20uses%20high,and%20destroys%20the%20cancer%20cells.
There are ablation techniques, but the article says these are rarely used in pancreatic cancer (I don't know why) and uses only the term tumor, not lesion. That makes me think that these techniques are most appropriate for a tumor that's self-contained and hasn't spread, which, to me, wouldn't include lesions. But again, I'm not a medical professional. You might ask your PA friend if this is what they're referring to. Perhaps someone on the board who's had this done or who's considered this will chime in with better info than I can provide.
I'm wondering about liver lesions from pancreatic cancer
Is chemo the only treatment?
I've heard about ablation and also injections right into the lesion
@markymarkfl
Your BSC101 professor would be very proud!
Had I been better at electrons et al, I would have majored in water engineering! Next life!
I'm wondering about liver lesions from pancreatic cancer
Is chemo the only treatment?
I've heard about ablation and also injections right into the lesion
I'm a scientific sample of one (!), and I'm not any sort of medical professional, so please take my response with all the appropriate caution. I was diagnosed in April 2023 as stage 4 because my surgeon saw flat lesions during my staging laparoscopy. Since then, I've asked my oncologist about various treatments besides chemo. Examples: HIPEC (the heated intraperitoneal chemo), high-dose radiation, proton beam radiation, surgery. In every instance, my oncologist said no, they're not for me. If I think about it, it seems very logical. For example, there's no guarantee that surgery would catch and remove every lesion and every cell. Radiation and proton beam therapy are so targeted that there's no way they could hit every affected area. The HIPEC treatment would make me extremely sick, he said. And so on. So I believe what he's telling me is correct in my case. That said, I urge you to ask and research and consider all your options, because you may be luckier than I am. I'm curious--what kind of injections would go into the lesions? What is the drug?
I'm not sure..one of my friends that is a PA told me about it
Also I've heard about Ablation for liver lesions
I did a super-speedy Google search and found this:
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/pancreatic-cancer/treating/ablative-techniques.html#:~:text=Radiofrequency%20ablation%20(RFA)%20uses%20high,and%20destroys%20the%20cancer%20cells.
There are ablation techniques, but the article says these are rarely used in pancreatic cancer (I don't know why) and uses only the term tumor, not lesion. That makes me think that these techniques are most appropriate for a tumor that's self-contained and hasn't spread, which, to me, wouldn't include lesions. But again, I'm not a medical professional. You might ask your PA friend if this is what they're referring to. Perhaps someone on the board who's had this done or who's considered this will chime in with better info than I can provide.
I had heard ablation technique for liver lesions or tumors
They might be able to apply chemo directly to your liver with a pump:
https://www.ohsu.edu/knight-cancer-institute/hepatic-arterial-infusion-hai#:~:text=In%20HAI%2C%20doctors%20place%20a,which%20means%20fewer%20side%20effects.
They might also be able to apply radiation directly with a patch like the Civa Sheet:
https://civatechoncology.com/civasheet/
Please share if your PA or oncologists can provide any insights on these!
Thank you..I'll keep this info!
From where?
MassGeneral Brigham in Boston