I'm a scientific sample of one (!), and I'm not any sort of medical professional, so please take my response with all the appropriate caution. I was diagnosed in April 2023 as stage 4 because my surgeon saw flat lesions during my staging laparoscopy. Since then, I've asked my oncologist about various treatments besides chemo. Examples: HIPEC (the heated intraperitoneal chemo), high-dose radiation, proton beam radiation, surgery. In every instance, my oncologist said no, they're not for me. If I think about it, it seems very logical. For example, there's no guarantee that surgery would catch and remove every lesion and every cell. Radiation and proton beam therapy are so targeted that there's no way they could hit every affected area. The HIPEC treatment would make me extremely sick, he said. And so on. So I believe what he's telling me is correct in my case. That said, I urge you to ask and research and consider all your options, because you may be luckier than I am. I'm curious--what kind of injections would go into the lesions? What is the drug?
I'm wondering about liver lesions from pancreatic cancer
Is chemo the only treatment?
I've heard about ablation and also injections right into the lesion
I'm a scientific sample of one (!), and I'm not any sort of medical professional, so please take my response with all the appropriate caution. I was diagnosed in April 2023 as stage 4 because my surgeon saw flat lesions during my staging laparoscopy. Since then, I've asked my oncologist about various treatments besides chemo. Examples: HIPEC (the heated intraperitoneal chemo), high-dose radiation, proton beam radiation, surgery. In every instance, my oncologist said no, they're not for me. If I think about it, it seems very logical. For example, there's no guarantee that surgery would catch and remove every lesion and every cell. Radiation and proton beam therapy are so targeted that there's no way they could hit every affected area. The HIPEC treatment would make me extremely sick, he said. And so on. So I believe what he's telling me is correct in my case. That said, I urge you to ask and research and consider all your options, because you may be luckier than I am. I'm curious--what kind of injections would go into the lesions? What is the drug?
I'm wondering about liver lesions from pancreatic cancer
Is chemo the only treatment?
I've heard about ablation and also injections right into the lesion
Thanks, and LOL... I've read most of that content a hundred times over the past 3 years since my own diagnosis, but really I just copy/organize/reword/paste from other sources while hoping I don't insert any errors and praying I never steer anyone wrong. If I cited every reference I stole from, the posts would be unreadable.
STANDARD DISCLAIMER, EXPANDED: I almost failed 9th grade Biology 46 years ago, and only crammed enough to test out of BSC101 in college 4 years later on the 2nd try.
Everything I've learned since then came from researching a disease in family/friends/self, asking medical professionals a lot of questions, and following the posts and links provided here by @stageivsurvivor and others. Thanks indeed to all for sharing here!
I only speak with authority about electrons 🙂 and I've humbly learned that all the medical knowledge I've acquired is kindergarten-level (at best) compared to an actual oncologist or geneticist.
@markymarkfl you’ve outdone yourself! Are you sure you weren’t a bio major??? Your explanation reminded me of my genetics 101 class (most of which I don’t remember)! That was such a thorough and easy to understand explanation. Thank you to you and all the others that contribute your skills and knowledge of this complicated disease to this online group!!
Thanks, and LOL... I've read most of that content a hundred times over the past 3 years since my own diagnosis, but really I just copy/organize/reword/paste from other sources while hoping I don't insert any errors and praying I never steer anyone wrong. If I cited every reference I stole from, the posts would be unreadable.
STANDARD DISCLAIMER, EXPANDED: I almost failed 9th grade Biology 46 years ago, and only crammed enough to test out of BSC101 in college 4 years later on the 2nd try.
Everything I've learned since then came from researching a disease in family/friends/self, asking medical professionals a lot of questions, and following the posts and links provided here by @stageivsurvivor and others. Thanks indeed to all for sharing here!
I only speak with authority about electrons 🙂 and I've humbly learned that all the medical knowledge I've acquired is kindergarten-level (at best) compared to an actual oncologist or geneticist.
@bceg1969 , I have no training in biology or medicine, so this explanation might not be perfect (or even adequate), but it's a quick answer others can clarify or correct if necessary.
You might be aware of how the DNA in your cells is a long chain of base molecules paired up in a certain order. When cells reproduce, the new cells are supposed to have the base molecules of their DNA in the same order. They usually do, but sometimes there's a biological "mistake" in the copying process that messes up the order or the way those molecules pair up.
That mistake represents a "mutation" and it will be passed on to new cells that reproduce from it, and possibly also to the offspring of the person carrying those cells. Not all mutations are harmful, but some are, and they may cause or allow the cells to grow out of control as they do in cancer.
The mutations have names based on where in the chain they occur and what life function they affect. In pancreatic cancer, the mutations you'll commonly see have names like KRAS, PALB, BRCA1, BRCA2, ATM, and others. The ATM name comes from a condition called Ataxia-Telangiectasia that may develop in a child if both parents have an ATM mutation that is passed on to the child.
Different tests can identify whether you have these changes in your blood and/or in your tumor, and can often identify whether they were inherited from one of your ancestors or caused by something in your environment (like exposure to radiation, asbestos, chemicals, etc).
Some of the systemic cancer treatments (chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, as pills or IV infusions) are believed to be more effective in patients with certain mutations, and systemic treatments are specifically designed to target cells with those mutations. The ideal situation is to have a drug which attacks and kills only cancer cells while leaving normal, healthy cells alone. Researchers are making good progress on this, but are still far from the holy grail of an answer.
Cancer cells try really hard to stay alive, and may adapt to their harsh new environment by developing new mutations that provide resistance to the drugs that are attacking them. Drug resistance typically requires switching to a different treatment.
@markymarkfl you’ve outdone yourself! Are you sure you weren’t a bio major??? Your explanation reminded me of my genetics 101 class (most of which I don’t remember)! That was such a thorough and easy to understand explanation. Thank you to you and all the others that contribute your skills and knowledge of this complicated disease to this online group!!
GAC. If it doesn’t work effectively, then I’m hoping for a clinical trial. My drs tell me there are 2 specific to my other 2 pancreatic mutations (tp53 and tsc2) occurring in cities nearby so I’m hoping I’ll be a candidate for them.
@bceg1969 , I have no training in biology or medicine, so this explanation might not be perfect (or even adequate), but it's a quick answer others can clarify or correct if necessary.
You might be aware of how the DNA in your cells is a long chain of base molecules paired up in a certain order. When cells reproduce, the new cells are supposed to have the base molecules of their DNA in the same order. They usually do, but sometimes there's a biological "mistake" in the copying process that messes up the order or the way those molecules pair up.
That mistake represents a "mutation" and it will be passed on to new cells that reproduce from it, and possibly also to the offspring of the person carrying those cells. Not all mutations are harmful, but some are, and they may cause or allow the cells to grow out of control as they do in cancer.
The mutations have names based on where in the chain they occur and what life function they affect. In pancreatic cancer, the mutations you'll commonly see have names like KRAS, PALB, BRCA1, BRCA2, ATM, and others. The ATM name comes from a condition called Ataxia-Telangiectasia that may develop in a child if both parents have an ATM mutation that is passed on to the child.
Different tests can identify whether you have these changes in your blood and/or in your tumor, and can often identify whether they were inherited from one of your ancestors or caused by something in your environment (like exposure to radiation, asbestos, chemicals, etc).
Some of the systemic cancer treatments (chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, as pills or IV infusions) are believed to be more effective in patients with certain mutations, and systemic treatments are specifically designed to target cells with those mutations. The ideal situation is to have a drug which attacks and kills only cancer cells while leaving normal, healthy cells alone. Researchers are making good progress on this, but are still far from the holy grail of an answer.
Cancer cells try really hard to stay alive, and may adapt to their harsh new environment by developing new mutations that provide resistance to the drugs that are attacking them. Drug resistance typically requires switching to a different treatment.
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I'm not sure..one of my friends that is a PA told me about it
Also I've heard about Ablation for liver lesions
I'm a scientific sample of one (!), and I'm not any sort of medical professional, so please take my response with all the appropriate caution. I was diagnosed in April 2023 as stage 4 because my surgeon saw flat lesions during my staging laparoscopy. Since then, I've asked my oncologist about various treatments besides chemo. Examples: HIPEC (the heated intraperitoneal chemo), high-dose radiation, proton beam radiation, surgery. In every instance, my oncologist said no, they're not for me. If I think about it, it seems very logical. For example, there's no guarantee that surgery would catch and remove every lesion and every cell. Radiation and proton beam therapy are so targeted that there's no way they could hit every affected area. The HIPEC treatment would make me extremely sick, he said. And so on. So I believe what he's telling me is correct in my case. That said, I urge you to ask and research and consider all your options, because you may be luckier than I am. I'm curious--what kind of injections would go into the lesions? What is the drug?
I'm wondering about liver lesions from pancreatic cancer
Is chemo the only treatment?
I've heard about ablation and also injections right into the lesion
@markymarkfl
Your BSC101 professor would be very proud!
Had I been better at electrons et al, I would have majored in water engineering! Next life!
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1 ReactionIn my case yes. It depends on the type of cancer that you have.
Thanks, and LOL... I've read most of that content a hundred times over the past 3 years since my own diagnosis, but really I just copy/organize/reword/paste from other sources while hoping I don't insert any errors and praying I never steer anyone wrong. If I cited every reference I stole from, the posts would be unreadable.
STANDARD DISCLAIMER, EXPANDED: I almost failed 9th grade Biology 46 years ago, and only crammed enough to test out of BSC101 in college 4 years later on the 2nd try.
Everything I've learned since then came from researching a disease in family/friends/self, asking medical professionals a lot of questions, and following the posts and links provided here by @stageivsurvivor and others. Thanks indeed to all for sharing here!
I only speak with authority about electrons 🙂 and I've humbly learned that all the medical knowledge I've acquired is kindergarten-level (at best) compared to an actual oncologist or geneticist.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
3 Reactions@markymarkfl you’ve outdone yourself! Are you sure you weren’t a bio major??? Your explanation reminded me of my genetics 101 class (most of which I don’t remember)! That was such a thorough and easy to understand explanation. Thank you to you and all the others that contribute your skills and knowledge of this complicated disease to this online group!!
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 ReactionsGAC. If it doesn’t work effectively, then I’m hoping for a clinical trial. My drs tell me there are 2 specific to my other 2 pancreatic mutations (tp53 and tsc2) occurring in cities nearby so I’m hoping I’ll be a candidate for them.
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Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionClarification where I can't edit the post above: Add the word "some" as below:
and SOME systemic treatments are specifically designed to target cells with those mutations.
@bceg1969 , I have no training in biology or medicine, so this explanation might not be perfect (or even adequate), but it's a quick answer others can clarify or correct if necessary.
You might be aware of how the DNA in your cells is a long chain of base molecules paired up in a certain order. When cells reproduce, the new cells are supposed to have the base molecules of their DNA in the same order. They usually do, but sometimes there's a biological "mistake" in the copying process that messes up the order or the way those molecules pair up.
That mistake represents a "mutation" and it will be passed on to new cells that reproduce from it, and possibly also to the offspring of the person carrying those cells. Not all mutations are harmful, but some are, and they may cause or allow the cells to grow out of control as they do in cancer.
The mutations have names based on where in the chain they occur and what life function they affect. In pancreatic cancer, the mutations you'll commonly see have names like KRAS, PALB, BRCA1, BRCA2, ATM, and others. The ATM name comes from a condition called Ataxia-Telangiectasia that may develop in a child if both parents have an ATM mutation that is passed on to the child.
Different tests can identify whether you have these changes in your blood and/or in your tumor, and can often identify whether they were inherited from one of your ancestors or caused by something in your environment (like exposure to radiation, asbestos, chemicals, etc).
Some of the systemic cancer treatments (chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, as pills or IV infusions) are believed to be more effective in patients with certain mutations, and systemic treatments are specifically designed to target cells with those mutations. The ideal situation is to have a drug which attacks and kills only cancer cells while leaving normal, healthy cells alone. Researchers are making good progress on this, but are still far from the holy grail of an answer.
Cancer cells try really hard to stay alive, and may adapt to their harsh new environment by developing new mutations that provide resistance to the drugs that are attacking them. Drug resistance typically requires switching to a different treatment.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
4 Reactions