I was stage-2 with pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) when I had the Whipple procedure. It was all cut out successfully (they said), but it came back as stage-4 four months (scattered throughout my abdomen, nothing in the lungs) later.
I started almost right away on Gemcitabine + Abraxane (nab-paclitaxel) + Cisplatin. It kept the disease from progressing for almost 16 months. I took a 4-month break from the "poison" and the neuropathy to participate in a clinical trial, which didn't work at all.
I resumed the Gemcitabine + Abraxane + Cisplatin and got another 9 months of good disease control before my cancer became resistant to the drugs. I've had one nodule appear in one lung; 5 mm on previous CT, 6 mm more recently. My oncologist is not overly concerned because they haven't even confirmed it's cancer yet, and because it's such a small percentage of total lung area. (I'm a bit more concerned than he is, but I have several bigger tumors to be more worried about.)
Overall, that's a pretty good, long run for a stage-4 patient, so you might have a pretty good long-term outlook.
As a side note, they added the Cisplatin to my Gem/Abrax regimen because it's supposed to help people with germline ATM mutations (which I have). If you haven't already had genetic tests (germline, blood, and tumor tissue) done, you should definitely push for that; it will help inform you and your doctor of future options.
Also, there's a subgroup here specifically for pancreatic cancer; you might want to follow that one for some good information that pops up every now and then.
@robertjoseph, Sorry that you are facing a cancer diagnosis again. Lung nodules can have many different sources. They aren't usually cancerous. Because of your history, of course you have a greater chance of these being cancer, but that's not certain. I have stage IV lung cancer (five+ years now), and I have a nodule that is fungal, not cancer. It's not growing and it's not going away. My body just doesn't seem to be able to fight it off.
Please know that a second cancer or metastatic cancer doesn't have to mean that you'll be gone a year from now. It may mean a shorted life span, but treatments for any type of cancer are better than ever. There are many of us living longer and longer. It is possible!
I know you mentioned that you are in Columbia, and they likely have different protocols than the US. Knowing if this is something other than cancer, pancreatic cancer spread, or a separate lung cancer would likely impact treatment decisions. Has your doctor ordered any additional lung scans? A PET? or Biopsy?
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@robertjoseph ,
I was stage-2 with pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) when I had the Whipple procedure. It was all cut out successfully (they said), but it came back as stage-4 four months (scattered throughout my abdomen, nothing in the lungs) later.
I started almost right away on Gemcitabine + Abraxane (nab-paclitaxel) + Cisplatin. It kept the disease from progressing for almost 16 months. I took a 4-month break from the "poison" and the neuropathy to participate in a clinical trial, which didn't work at all.
I resumed the Gemcitabine + Abraxane + Cisplatin and got another 9 months of good disease control before my cancer became resistant to the drugs. I've had one nodule appear in one lung; 5 mm on previous CT, 6 mm more recently. My oncologist is not overly concerned because they haven't even confirmed it's cancer yet, and because it's such a small percentage of total lung area. (I'm a bit more concerned than he is, but I have several bigger tumors to be more worried about.)
Overall, that's a pretty good, long run for a stage-4 patient, so you might have a pretty good long-term outlook.
As a side note, they added the Cisplatin to my Gem/Abrax regimen because it's supposed to help people with germline ATM mutations (which I have). If you haven't already had genetic tests (germline, blood, and tumor tissue) done, you should definitely push for that; it will help inform you and your doctor of future options.
Also, there's a subgroup here specifically for pancreatic cancer; you might want to follow that one for some good information that pops up every now and then.
!Buena suerte!
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6 ReactionsI'm seeing the oncologist tomorrow. He told me to pack a bag for 4 days. They want to make sure my body can handle the chemo
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