@akrhodes7320 A surgeon can not detect micrometastatic disease which is all to common with pancreatic cancer. The surgeon removes all visible traces of the cancer…tumor and sentinel lymph nodes. Adjuvant chemo is common to address the strong possibility of minimal residual disease-that which likely remains after surgery. Even with adjuvant chemo, the recurrence rate is 80% within two years. This is why no surgeon would ever say to a patient they are cured. Cancer-free and No Evidence of Disease in no way implies cured.

Metastatic disease was detected in my liver seven days post Whipple. I was treated aggressively for 24 months with chemo administered every 15 days. It was no fault of my surgeon that I was now stage IV…. metastatic disease and recurrence are hallmarks of pancreatic cancer. I dealt with it by advocating for aggressive treatment. It was 8 years after finishing treatment that the first oncologist felt confident in declaring me cured.