PANCREATIC CANCER

Yes. You CAN survive pancreatic cancer. That I should feel good and look good is still a mystery to some. Pancreatic cancer is generally fatal. Last year there were 37,680 patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. There were 34,290 people who died of the disease. Five percent are still alive after three months of the diagnosis. Complete remission is extremely rare. The staggering mortality rate makes pancreatic cancer one of the most common causes of cancer death.

There are two main reasons for pancreatic cancer's poor prognosis. First, it is an exceedingly difficult cancer to diagnose. By the time symptoms begin to appear - such as jaundice, pain in the abdomen or middle back, weight loss, digestive problems or a swollen gallbladder - the cancer is usually well advanced. In fact, about 85% of patients have metastatic disease at the time of the diagnosis.

Second, progress in treating pancreatic cancer has been exceedingly slow. In terms of research funding, pancreatic cancer has not kept pace with other cancers. One reason is that there are few survivors to champion the cause.

Of all patients with the cancer, just 15% of them are even candidates for surgery because most has become metastatic disease.

Some names that you will recognize who have had the disease include Randy Pausch, who spent the last days preparing and delivering the famous, "The Last Lecture." Luciana Pavarotti passed away three months after the diagnosis and Michael Landon died less than three months after his Whipple operation, One of my hero's, Steve Jobs, fought a valiant but losing battle against the disease.Patric Swayze did not make it. Ruth Bader Ginsberg of the Supreme Court is now fighting the fight.

The Whipple operation is the prime procedure to treat the cancer. In the early days of the Whipple, the mortality rate was very high. Up to 25% of patients died from the surgery - not from the cancer - but from the surgery. The experiences of the 1970's and 1980's is still remembered by some physicians who are reluctant to recommend the Whipple operation.

The Whipple operation saved my life. I was diagnosed early by a wonderful gastroenterologist and had a most able surgeon who is recognized for his great technical skill.

People tell me how lucky I am to have survived this terrible disease. I respond by saying, "I'm not lucky, I'm blessed." I truly am!!.