Gemicibine and abraxane

In your situation, several factors matter:

You were able to undergo a distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy.
You completed 6 months of FOLFIRINOX.
Your recurrence was identified and treated.
You are receiving an active second-line regimen (gemcitabine/Abraxane).
Your response on scans and your tumor markers (such as CA 19-9) will tell much more than population averages.

I would encourage you to get a second opinion from Dr. Doug Evans at Froedtert in Wisconsin. Pancreatic cancer is a complex disease, and there are only a limited number of centers that specialize in it. A fresh set of expert eyes can sometimes make a significant difference. The Seena Magowitz Foundation has helped patients with travel expenses, so it may be worth reaching out to them as well.

@mcharlesfrancis, Thank you for your reply, I’m actually in Australia, I have gotten another option and unfortunately it was the same outcome.

Hi,
My husband had distal panc with splenectomy in April 2025. Poor surgical margins and presence in lymph nodes required chemo. Chemo delayed until late August due to surgical complications, but his first round of chemo was Abraxane and Gem. Based on his tumor make-up (PALB2), they switched to a Platinum-based chemo. Cisplatin, coupled with Gem, has really shown promising results. CA19-9 at 6,900 in Oct 2025 and last week he was just under 200. Do you know if your oncology team has the results of your tumor cellular makeup or genetic profile of the tumor? Targeted therapy for the type of pancreatic cancer being treated is important. I had no idea that not all pancreatic cancers were the same until going through this with my husband, so I wanted to share his experience in hopes it might help you find the right drug cocktail for your tumor.

Jules
I have a similar history with my pancreatectomy and splenectomy, etc. having been done in Sept. 2021.
Also now on that combination of Abraxane/Gemcitabine since January 2024; 29 months. I've consistently been infused every two weeks in that time.
My oncology team tells me I'm an outlier though others have been on it even longer. Most people are on it for only six months or so before they move onto another treatment.
So the range appears pretty broad.
Good luck. Only advice I can give is ice feet and hands to minimize neuropathy.
Regards,

Hello, my husband also has started Gemcitabine and abraxane as a second line treatment due to a recurrence of the pancreatic cancer. He has a few lung nodules in his lower right lobe that the doctors believe are from the pancreas.
He is doing well on the treatment Ca19-9 has gone from 290 in February to 22 just last week.
He is complaining of more neuropathy in his feet and the oncologist has suggested a decrease in the abraxane dose by 25%. He is currently on 2 weeks of treatment and 2 weeks off. Would love to hear from more people who are on same treatment for reoccurrence. Thank you

@kevintexas, Thank you for your reply, I am currently waiting on the genetic profile, hopefully it shows something

@bzabeli Unfortunately I had already it from the FOLFORINX, hoping it doesn’t get worse, I am sure it will and they will adjust accordingly.

@bzabeli Hi

Did you have chemotherapy in 2021 after your surgery ? I am about to start my chemotherapy FU5 in a week’s time following total pancretectomy.

Joe

@joeseah , yes I had 6 months of FU5, finished in Nov 25