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Can flying at 35 thousand feet cause pancreatic cancer to spread rapid

Posted by trottiii @trottiii, Aug 13, 2023

My wife just passed away from pancreatic cancer with a very short fight of three months. We were told that since she was young(46), healthy, we caught it early, and it was treatable, that our chances of surviving this was good. She had three rounds of chemo and was doing great. We were blessed off by our oncologist to take our trip to Maui. She was not having any problems prior to flying, but the day after we arrived, she starting feeling sick and her stomach started filling up with fluid, making her vomit constantly and appear like she was pregnant.
Is there any possibility that the flight could have triggered the cancer to spread rapidly?

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nunz12 | @nunz12 | Aug 14, 2023

I’m so sorry, I don’t have an answer to that but I have heard that before.
Did they try to drain the fluid?
My sister in law is now filled with fluid too in her stomach lining she is forty, was doing really well too after chemo but new lesions popped up on her stomach.

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1 reply
trottiii | @trottiii | Aug 14, 2023
In reply to @nunz12 "I’m so sorry, I don’t have an answer to that but I have heard that before...." + (show)
@nunz12

I’m so sorry, I don’t have an answer to that but I have heard that before.
Did they try to drain the fluid?
My sister in law is now filled with fluid too in her stomach lining she is forty, was doing really well too after chemo but new lesions popped up on her stomach.

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The fluid was drained every other day for a week until she was admitted. Kidney failure started less than a week later.

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mayoconnectuser1 | @mayoconnectuser1 | Aug 14, 2023

I'm so sorry, trottiii.

Given modern aircraft, you were probably at 6,000-8,000 feet "cabin altitude." This is about the same as visiting Denver and driving south to Colorado Springs. IMO, not likely to contribute.

Ascites is an unfortunate effect of some cancers.
https://pancan.org/facing-pancreatic-cancer/symptoms/ascites/

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1 reply
trottiii | @trottiii | Aug 14, 2023
In reply to @mayoconnectuser1 "I'm so sorry, trottiii. Given modern aircraft, you were probably at 6,000-8,000 feet "cabin altitude." This..." + (show)
@mayoconnectuser1

I'm so sorry, trottiii.

Given modern aircraft, you were probably at 6,000-8,000 feet "cabin altitude." This is about the same as visiting Denver and driving south to Colorado Springs. IMO, not likely to contribute.

Ascites is an unfortunate effect of some cancers.
https://pancan.org/facing-pancreatic-cancer/symptoms/ascites/

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Thank you. Should we have been warned about that prior to flying?

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1 reply
gardenlady1116 | @gardenlady1116 | Aug 14, 2023

My condolences to you on the loss of your wife. Hope you are managing in this most difficult of times.

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mayoconnectuser1 | @mayoconnectuser1 | Aug 14, 2023
In reply to @trottiii "Thank you. Should we have been warned about that prior to flying?" + (show)
@trottiii

Thank you. Should we have been warned about that prior to flying?

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As I noted, and remember I am not a medical professional - but, 6000-8000 feet pressurized cabin altitude is normally not a medical issue - recall very ill and injured patients are flown in this manner.

Did you review the citation about ascites? Here is another that is a bit more blunt, but remember, still a general article.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1513572/#:~:text=Common%20manifestations%20of%20end%20stage,phenomenon)%2C%20anasarca%20and%20ascites.
In many cases, ascites is an indication of metastasis of cancer into the liver, omentum/periotoneum, and other locations.

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