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How Worried Should I Be? Might have pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic Cancer | Last Active: Jul 8, 2022 | Replies (16)Comment receiving replies
UPDATE: I had my EUS on Wednesday, June 22. They determined that they could not do the fluid biopsy as they considered it a high risk of pancreatitis being it near some veins in the pancreas. Yet due to my CA Count being 16, and from other characteristics (I don’t know those details), they considered it benign. However being the size is 3.5cm, they desire I come back for an MRI in 3-6 months to monitor if growing or shrinking,… At this time Whipple surgery to remove the cyst was also ruled out due to risk…
My questions are: 1]. Do Cysts ever shrink?…how could it go away by itself? 2]. Should I be concerned that any future surgery (whether it be cancerous or larger than current size) something more serious than if they did the surgery to remove it now?
I’m confused - as I thought in the saying that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”,…so why not take it out now and prevent me worrying every 6 months,.,, Thanks.
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Hi @mikewdby, those are really good questions. Pseudocysts (benign pancreatic cysts) can resolve on their own without treatment, over time. Sometimes surgery can be a higher risk than monitoring and waiting for it to resolve on its own.
Now if only I could wave a magic wand to banish the worry. That's the tough part. Did you know that worry even has a name - scanxiety? It's hard not to worry as the date for monitoring approaches. Don't let it get in the way of living life (easy to say and not meant flippantly).