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Pancreatic Cancer Group: Introduce yourself and connect with others
Pancreatic Cancer | Last Active: 31 minutes ago | Replies (2202)Comment receiving replies
@tomrennie
Hi Tom,
I met with an/my oncologist yesterday with news that I was not expecting. He told me that I have stage IV pancreatic cancer. The cancer in the liver was caused by pancreatic cells. I believe that I will be starting chemo therapy on Tuesday, April 21 until October. Each therapy takes about 90 minutes. There are three weeks of chemo and then one week off, then it keeps repeating.
The cancer is incurable and also inoperable. I am not sure of radiation. I will ask my doctor.
Thank you mayo Clinic Support Group! You are very helpful
Exercise is good and I see a nutritionist on Monday. I also have a CT scan Monday to get a baseline. Right now I feel real good!
Replies to "@tomrennie Hi Tom, I met with an/my oncologist yesterday with news that I was not expecting...."
@gvk911
Many, like myself, received same diagnosis. Sometimes they leave out an important word…” it is inoperable…NOW”. Chemo can work to shrink and even kill tumors, or make them necrotic. When that occurs, surgery will be considered. Focus on being as healthy as possible now, so the chemo, and make sure all trends are being watched closely. If this one isn’t working, switch! In talking to many patients, it does seem doctors give us the grimmest news first .
Be strong, and have hope!
@gvk911 I too have stage IV. That will be 4 years at the end of June. You can make it. You don't say what chemo you will be getting; sounds like gemcitabine and Abraxane. You don't say how old you are, but if you have trouble tolerating 3 on and 1 off, try 2 on and 1 off. My oncologist said the 2/1 was better tolerated. I had 85 total chemo treatments. Right now, I am on a break. I do not recommend doing 40+ chemo treatments then a break. Too rough on the body! 🙂 But, hey, I am still here at 76 & planning on more years with God's help!
@gvk911 This is a journey. One day at a time yet we've always felt comfort in having a plan. Stay focused & strong.
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@gvk911 Hey Glenn. Sorry to hear of your diagnosis. It's a tough one to get and process. I know, because I got the same one. It is great that treatment is happening sooner rather than later. I do have a few basic question, before we dive in to things a little deeper.
- Your pancreas is the location of the cancer, but do you know specifically what type of cancer you have? Adenocarcinoma is about 90% of all pancreatic cancers. The type of pancreatic cancer usually determines treatment.
- What type of chemo with you be getting?
- You stated previously that the pancreatic tumor is 2cm. This is still the case correct?
- How impacted is your liver? For example, my scan results stated that I had innumerable lesions.
- Does the cancer impact any of the plumbing around your pancreas and liver? For example, my pancreatic tumor and liver lesions were growing into nearby veins. Since you are feeling good at the moment, I am optimistic that the answer is no.
That should give us a good starting point for more detailed conversations moving forward. Your CT or MRI report should provide the information to answer the above questions. The first two are the most important. If the answers to the other questions aren't easily understandable from the reports, the jargon can be quite a challenge, don't worry about it. Let me know ok?