What is the best treatment to receive for pancreatic cancer? (biopsy, blood)

[Roselvr]

Originally Posted by Tony22

My dad is healthy. I know he can fight this.

Tony; I can understand being optimistic & "knowing he can beat this" is a great attitude to have; but you really need to read what everyone above is saying because what your dad has is one of the worst cancers to have; even to someone "healthy".

How old is he?
Is your dad located in NY also? Have you checked out Sloan Kettering?

Your dad may not have symptoms yet; but when they start; they will come quickly; which is why you have to take this serious & move quickly.

One important thing here is it's already reached his liver.

I had a blog post set up with a lot of info on it & the admins here on CD felt I was "advertising" some how by giving cancer help.

Patrick Swayze died from pancreatic cancer; he was young; in great shape & probably one of the most determined cancer fighters (Farrah would be #2 in my book). Patrick had access to the best; he even went to Germany for treatment. He fought a valiant fight but in the end this pancreatic cancer beast took him.

If you want to know more about PC; check out here. One person there I suggest you speak to is Squand because he is an amazing inspiration. I honestly did not think he'd still be around but he's very determined. When I "met him" last year they told him to call hospice. I actually made the PC help blog after members offered help to him; I decided to get the info together because the best people to ask are people currently fighting or their care givers. The other place would be here.

I'll be back with some information. I have to rebuild it.

[Roselvr]

The people on the PC board I go to suggest 3 places to get opinions from-

M.D. Anderson in TX, Johns Hopkins in MD and Columbia University in NYC are the best at treating Pancreatic Cancer in this country. They all have complete areas dedicated strictly to Pancreatic Cancer.

The Pancreas Center Columbia University; the best doctor there is supposed to be Robert L. Fine, MD

Multidisciplinary Pancreatic Cancer Team at Johns Hopkins - Baltimore, MD

Stand up to cancer had a pancreatic cancer grant link

PANCREATIC CANCER DREAM TEAM (DREAM TEAM SERIES PART 2 OF 5) see here (http://www.standup2cancer.org/node/4536 - broken link) - Cutting Off the Fuel Supply: A New Approach to the Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer / Leaders: Craig B. Thompson, M.D., Director, Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, and Daniel D. Von Hoff, M.D., Senior Investigator and Physician in Chief at the Translational Research Genomics Institute (TGen).


Progress Report: Pancreatic Cancer Dream Team - As the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States, pancreatic cancer remains one of the most deadly forms of cancer. More than 90 percent of patients die within the first year of diagnosis. Recent advancements have had little impact, and a new approach is desperately needed.

Dream Team (http://www.standup2cancer.org/node/4442 - broken link)- scroll to status update; it tells about clinical trials they're doing.

Few interesting tidbits from that page-
Talking points

Pancreatic cancer is particularly lethal, and there are very few treatments available. This project is testing new therapeutic combinations to extend the life of patients today, and studying the biology of pancreatic cancer to develop new treatments tomorrow.



The genomic and metabolomic investigations will bring a new era of personalized medicine to pancreatic cancer treatment where doctors can predict the best course of therapy for a patient from the outset.
This will eliminate the trial-and-error process of finding the correct course of treatment, which is especially important for patients with rapidly advancing cancers such as pancreatic cancer

The area of pancreatic cancer research has traditionally been underfunded and under-researched

.

[SD4020]

Steve Jobs fought Pancreatic cancer for quite a while too.

[Beth56]

My mother died 9 months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. They had given her 3-6 months to live. She had vague symptoms for a year prior to being diagnosed, but it was found too late. Surgery was not an option as the cancer had reached her aorta. Going through chemo can be grueling, living your last few moments sick. She chose not to have chemo due to quality of life issues. Caring for my mother was the hardest thing I have ever done. You have to cherish each moment.

Pancreatic cancer is deadly. There are some who live longer, but for most, it is less than a year. For some, a matter of weeks. This is the reality of this cancer.

Below is a recent article on pancreatic cancer that I thought explained things pretty well. Be strong Tony. I'm sorry your family is dealing with this.

Why Is Pancreatic Cancer So Deadly?: Scientific American

[Tony22]

I still don't get why this cancer is so deadly and why they don't have enough funds for this disease. It really pisses me off.

[Roselvr]

Originally Posted by Tony22

I still don't get why this cancer is so deadly and why they don't have enough funds for this disease. It really pisses me off.

This will be bried; I'm on a cell phone..
Its deadly because it moves quick & so quiclly that it takes time between chemo; so when they see one may not work it could be too late.

Make sure you spend quality time with your dad & make sure his affairs are in order

[PippySkiddles]

Originally Posted by Tony22

I still don't get why this cancer is so deadly and why they don't have enough funds for this disease. It really pisses me off.

Originally Posted by Roselvr

This will be bried; I'm on a cell phone..
Its deadly because it moves quick & so quiclly that it takes time between chemo; so when they see one may not work it could be too late.

Make sure you spend quality time with your dad & make sure his affairs are in order

and it's ok to be angry so allow that feeling. Allow your dad to feel that along with every other emotion he too will experience.

[sfcambridge]

Best treatment? Surgery. Sometimes preceded by chemo/radiation if the tumor is large/surrounding vessels. Often after surgery, more chemo.

Best chemotherapy, if surgery is not an option? FOLFIRINOX (5-FU + irinotecan + oxaliplatin). It can be rugged, but shows the best results currently.

I know a lot about this. My mother recently passed away from Pancreatic cancer (age 68) and I am in Health Care.

How old is your father?
How is his general health?
Does he want to fight this?

These are the most important questions to start with.

Where does your father live?
Where is he getting treatment?

I agree with the prior poster that Johns Hopkins, MD Anderson and Columbia are the best places for treatment of Pancreatic Cancer. If there is any way you could be seen here to get an opinion, or ideally for treatment. They often make recommendations to you and then your local doctor can implement them. Many go to Hopkins just for the surgery, then return to have chemo locally.

First, is surgery and option? Has it spread to other organs yet (metastases)?

The most important initial consideration is surgery. Surgery has the potential for cure, although many people have the cancer recur despite surgery. Although the "Whipple" is the name of the surgery many people have, for tumors in the tail of the pancreas, sometimes a less dramatic surgery can be done that is better tolerated.

Remember, the numbers your doctor is giving you are AVERAGES. There is a wide distribution around the mean. Why can't your father be one of the lucky ones?

So first, you need to get a couple opinions from the best oncologists and surgical oncologists who SPECIALIZE IN PANCREATIC CANCER. As fast as possible. Call PanCan and ask for referrals in your area. Also, there is an excellent online discussion group specifically for pancreatic cancer run by Johns Hopkins that is excellent. Check it out today, and start posting questions there. Other patients/family members know TONS.

Johns Hopkins Online Discussion Board

Once you know whether or not surgery is an option, you can go from there.

Even though your Dad is older, there is no reason why he can't tolerate surgery and chemo if he is in good general health. Don't give up, and if your doctor doesn't seem interested/supportive, find another.

This cancer is one of the hardest to fight because most people do not find out they have it until it has spread to other organs (metastasized). Once it has spread, you can't have surgery so your chance of cure is slim. Also, the chemotherapies we use to treat it don't work great. Every patient is different with regard to their responsiveness.

[Tony22]

Originally Posted by sfcambridge

Best treatment? Surgery. So

How old is your father?
How is his general health?
Does he want to fight this?

These are the most important questions to start with.

Where does your father live?
Where is he getting treatment?

First, is surgery and option? Has it spread to other organs yet (metastases)?

This cancer is one of the hardest to fight because most people do not find out they have it until it has spread to other organs (metastasized). Once it has spread, you can't have surgery so your chance of cure is slim. Also, the chemotherapies we use to treat it don't work great. Every patient is different with regard to their responsiveness.

My dad is 51 and he is really healthy. His heart, lungs and kidney's are great. He watches what he eats and drinks plenty of water. He really wants to fight this. The cancer has spread to his liver but there are small lesions on his liver. They said they can't do the surgery because they have to shrink the tumor first.

[Roselvr]

Originally Posted by Tony22

My dad is 51 and he is really healthy. His heart, lungs and kidney's are great. He watches what he eats and drinks plenty of water. He really wants to fight this. The cancer has spread to his liver but there are small lesions on his liver. They said they can't do the surgery because they have to shrink the tumor first.

Tony; where is he being seen?