Dad at 61, discovered to have 2cm localized at the head of pancreas

My mother has Well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumor : Immunohistochemical stains confirm endocrine differentiation showing diffuse positivity for synaptophysin and INSM1. Ki67 stains less than 1% of tumor cells. any advice please

If his general health is good, and Whipple is successful, he may be around for years. Chemo may still be needed but that will be determined after surgery. The Whipple surgery itself will result in life changes - possible need for insulin and digestive enzymes. Again, catching it early is good news! I was diagnosed with stage 3 over 2 years ago, had Whipple surgery followed by chemo and am still here!

I am now 63 years old. I had a well differentiated, grade 1, stage 1 gastrinoma neuroendrocrune 1.5cm tumor in the pancreas head. Whipple surgery done in May 2020. No chemo but was on Creon for 6 to 9 months or so. Chromograni A is considered high, over 600. At times, have diarrhoea; recently has rashes at the back and occasionally heart burnt (just done a CT scan to rule out heart issue & waiting for results). After surgery, eat more frequent small meals, walk regularly to keep fit. I can continue to live normally & continue with hiking.

Thank you for sharing your story. Your Dad is one of the lucky ones. Only one out of five patients are suitable for surgery at initial diagnosis. Surgery does have the chance of a cure. Pancreatic cancer is a "silent killer", no symptoms until late in the course of the cancer, so waiting for symptoms is a killer.

It is a great shock to have the cancer diagnosis and it can be hard to really make sense of the things your doctors are telling you in a state of shock. The shock does wear off, then things make more sense. If things are not making sense, a second opinion at a pancreatic center of excellence can be very valuable. You can always set this up, if you feel you have all the answers you need, you can always cancel. No time to lose with pancreatic cancer! Wishing you the best in getting the best treatment you can.

Thank you. Yes my dad is very lucky one. He is having surgery in Slovenia this coming Tuesday.
He is still in good, no symptoms ( i hope it stays like that ).

Yes, he is in good health, he walks every day, usually night time. He still have appetite and no symptoms. I hope it stays like that.

How are you feeling now after the surgery? Are you afraid that the cancer might return? This is what scares me more.
The doctors told my dad that this can be operable. What if it's not ? What will happen then?

It took a few months to recover from the surgery and then I had 6 months of chemo which took a lot of my energy. I am now on insulin and creon and generally feeling ok. Still not what I was; slow walking, neuropathy in hands and feet from chemo, etc but I am alive! Bloodwork is beginning to show signs something is going on but regular CT scans still show nothing. Watch and wait is difficult on everyone, but we try to make the best of things. I have beaten the odds so far. Best wishes to your father!

I’m praying for your father that he will be healed quickly and completely. It’s good that the tumor was found early. I was diagnosed January 2022 after having an array of symptoms which progressed rather quickly. I have been getting chemotherapy treatment off and on for a year now. A few complications caused my treatment to be interrupted and restarted. The tumor was found in the head of my pancreas blocking the bile duct and causing dilation of my pancreatic ducts. In October we found the cancer had spread so surgery has been cancelled. My doctors and their oncology team are helping me deal with ongoing chemotherapy and the challenges of a disease that affects my entire family, due to the fact that they are loving me and caring for me through this journey.
There are no set answers to the questions that arise with a cancer diagnosis. There is hope. One thing that is important for both you and your dad is the love you share in the challenges that you will face. There are struggles on both sides, the patient and the caregiver. Therefore I put my trust in God to do what treatment and caregivers cannot do. Hopefully your father has a short trip to healing. May God bless you and your father, also your family and your father’s friends. All my best to you.

Just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in London, England today. In shock

Mine was 2 cm on the head of the pancreas. It blocked a bile duct and I had some symptoms from that so it was caught in the early stage but it turned out during surgery that 3 lymph nodes were involved, so I was diagnosed Stage 2B.

I was 63 when I was diagnosed in April 2021, had Whipple surgery May 2021, which was successful--no evidence of tumor in margins of surgical area, and 6 1/2 months of chemotherapy (Folfirinox) from August 2021 to January 25th, 2022. I have been no evidence of disease (NED) for 10 months, so I am going on 2 years since diagnosis and my quality of life is excellent. It is not that way for everybody, for sure. I was very healthy to start with and probably also just lucky that the chemo worked.

I am recently having increase in tumor markers though no evidence of actual tumors. I am certainly not immune from recurrence and may be having the start of one now, but I am very happy and grateful for the 2 years of life I have had since my diagnosis and I hope for many more. I wish all the best for you and your father. Beth