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← Return to Whipple or no Whipple?
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@tomrennie was last Thursday. Met with his original surgeon & also a new team member . Another surgeon who specializes in Pancreatic tumors . We were informed his Cat Scan performed 10 days ago didn't go as well as surgeons anticipated. They reworded what they needed from the radiologists. So now back to get another set of images. Preying the tumor is up against the arteries & not wrapping around it. A much more difficult procedure if it is. Husband says only going through with it all if the scan shows positively the tumor is at a better Surgical location. He's tired of the stalls ECT. Had 2 biopsies back in October 2024. Both were inconclusive. Not a viable specimen. Took 9 months to finally get a clear reading. Also 2 stents failed before a metal stent was placed. Of which we were told is a 1 year stent. ( May).
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@casey1959
Does the stent rule out radiation? My tumor was encircling the SMV and abutting the SMA. Chemo was unsuccessful and I was told that Whipple was not an option. I then had the SBRT radiation, 5 treatments over 15 days, hoping that there would be at least a 25% shrinkage to make me eligible for the Nano-knife procedure. The radiation was so successful, with an almost 50% shrinkage and no longer touching artery and only partially the vein so I was back on for the Whipple. They did an endoscopic ultrasound to get a better look. I had the surgery 3 months ago and am doing o.k. The surgeon had explained that they would do a preliminary "look see" surgically and if all looked good, she would proceed with the Whipple. All went well. I am dealing with some digestive issues, but they are resolving with Creon trial and error. This was all done at CPMC in San Francisco. Surgery was done by Dr. Kimberly Dalal. There are many ways to deal with this. I was originally diagnosed in December of 2024. I encourage you to keep on trying.