tell me about pancreatic cancer stage 4. (remission, liver, mass, pancreas)

[High_Plains_Retired]

I had planned to leave yesterday but right now I'm waiting for my wife to arrive at our west Texas farm from Albuquerque. Sadly my sister-in-law called me this morning from Lufkin at 6:00 am to tell me John died at 2:00 am this morning.

For others who may be facing this terrible killer, John lived 18 months from the time of diagnosis to his death and was up and around the day before his passing. The doctors' were amazed that both his parents died from pancreatic cancer.

I'm already missing his intelligent wit and ready smile. He was a great brother-in-law.

[SD4020]

Originally Posted by High_Plains_Retired

I had planned to leave yesterday but right now I'm waiting for my wife to arrive at our west Texas farm from Albuquerque. Sadly my sister-in-law called me this morning from Lufkin at 6:00 am to tell me John died at 2:00 am this morning.

For others who may be facing this terrible killer, John lived 18 months from the time of diagnosis to his death and was up and around the day before his passing. The doctors' were amazed that both his parents died from pancreatic cancer.

I'm already missing his intelligent wit and ready smile. He was a great brother-in-law.

My sympathies. It is always a terrible loss.

[Beth56]

My condolences to you and your family. I lost my mother to pancreatic cancer years ago. It took over a year to diagnose and she lived 9 months after diagnosis. A horrible, horrible cancer.

[hershey48]

Originally Posted by High_Plains_Retired

I had planned to leave yesterday but right now I'm waiting for my wife to arrive at our west Texas farm from Albuquerque. Sadly my sister-in-law called me this morning from Lufkin at 6:00 am to tell me John died at 2:00 am this morning.

For others who may be facing this terrible killer, John lived 18 months from the time of diagnosis to his death and was up and around the day before his passing. The doctors' were amazed that both his parents died from pancreatic cancer.

I'm already missing his intelligent wit and ready smile. He was a great brother-in-law.

I'm so sorry for your loss. A family member died of this disease and I know someone else who is battling it now. Every time I hear about someone dealing with this it breaks my heart.

[krichton]

I'm literally shocked and awed that Steve Jobs isn't part of some clinical trial on a proven stage 4 cancer drug right this minute. Alot of these clinics need funding and he can fund the whole damn thing with whatever happens to be in his pockets, and have the drug named after him if he wanted, but by all appearances he seems no better off than your average joe with cancer.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by krichton

I'm literally shocked and awed that Steve Jobs isn't part of some clinical trial on a proven stage 4 cancer drug right this minute. Alot of these clinics need funding and he can fund the whole damn thing with whatever happens to be in his pockets, and have the drug named after him if he wanted, but by all appearances he seems no better off than your average joe with cancer.

Money can't buy everything, least of all the cure for an incurable disease. I don't know much about clinical trials, but I assume there's nothing developed yet that could help him - or I'm sure he'd have already tried it.

I have a family friend (my age, 34 years old) who is currently fighting cancer, and she is extremely wealthy from inheritance... sadly, both of her parents died of cancer fairly young. She went through surgery and intensive chemo last year, for advanced ovarian cancer, but it returned & spread within six months of completing treatment. She has ALL the money needed to fight this, and is now seeking treatment with a specialist down in LA - but even they said "probably nothing else can be done at this point." She's trying to remain optimistic, while knowing that all the money in the world probably won't help. Cancer is a b****, and my sympathies to everyone here who's dealing with this.

[krichton]

I don't know much about clinical trials either, but apparently all you have to do is volunteer. I have no idea what are the criteria they use to pick and choose who gets in or if there are any. Trials typically don't have alot of people in them, but some do. This may have something to do with lack of funding based on what I've read and seen. In any case there are at least 2 clinical trials for a pancreatic cancer vaccine that I know of undergoing human testing here in NY and in britain. There's another one for ovarian in Texas. All immunotherapy vaccines use the same or similar method to fight cancer so there could be more trials elsewhere. Based on what I've seen in news programs and read online they all appear to work. Steve Jobs has opted to more traditional methods like PRRT which zaps the cancer tumors with raditation, which I had to go Switzerland for. Needless to say, I don't think this method is working for him.

[catgautam]

I am a pancreatic cancer patient got myself operated when i was 28 years old today i am 32 and living a great life.

When detected it was stage 3. I have read a lot people writing about patients not living too long but i guess its more in the mind rather than any where.

Cancer is something which is more in the mind first then it affects your mentally and u give up.

I might not survive i dont know but till i do i will fight it.

Tk care

Thanks

[Tony22]

My dad has stage 4 cancer. He was diagnosed in Oct of 2011. It spread to his liver. He found out by having a sharp pain in his back. He went to the hospital and they said he has a tumor. He started chemo 2 weeks after and has been on chemo since then. He has been doing great. His tumor markers went down from 70,000 in October to 265 last week. The chemo treatment that he is on is called Folfirinox. This is a really powerful chemo treatment. This is the most effective treatment. He might even go back to work soon. His hair on his head is also growing at a fast rate.

Originally Posted by SouthernBelleInUtah

Not good. If she has Steve Jobs' resources, she may last a while longer as he has done.

He didn't opt for treatment. He should have done that.

Originally Posted by PAhippo

They're just beginning to find treatment methods but, sorry to say, Southern Belle is correct.

Folfirinox is the best.

Originally Posted by Redsox1972

I am not a doctor but, from the reading I have done, there really is no long term survival hopes with stage 4.

Actually there is. I am on a cancer forum and there are many people who are living over 5 -8 years with this cancer.

[lubby]

My dad was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in June of 2004. The tumor was covering his liver and pancreas and he was told it was inoperable. Many months prior to this he had terrible back pain which we thought was due to a herniated disc he had, extreme weight loss which unfortunately none of us really noticed because my dad was always a large man all his life, so when he began dropping weight we thought nothing of it. We thought he was just eating less to loose weight. He owned his own insurance business and he tredged along everyday to work but as days went by it was getting harder and harder for him to even walk to his office once he got into the building.I also worked in the same Bldg for a different insurance office and somone came up to me and said "your dad looks great did he loose weight"? I was like I guess so. He had just gotten back from Herniated disc surgery 2 weeks earlier. He was not eating as much because he said it hurt. So my mom thought it was acid reflux. He went to the Dr. and was prescribed Nexium, then an appointment was made to have an endoscopy. The results came back fine. My mom said this can't be good. He had a sonogram of his liver and pancreas and there was the tumor covering both. It was suggested he see an oncologist. They went and the results were not good. He had only been to this doctor 3 times. They asked my dad to leave the room and the Dr. told my mom the bad news. He told her she had to tell him the bad news that he had stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He did not feel comfortable telling my dad because he did not know him well enough. He said there was no hope and Chemo was not an option. My dad was not a fighter . So she went home and went about the house cleaning and dusting and acting strange. My father made her stop what she was doing and asked her what the doctor said. It's not good she said. My father then said "it's pancreatic cancer right?" She said yes how do you know? I have a friend who died of it and he had the same symptoms as me. He told my mom he had a feeling it was this way before the testing was done but he did not want to deal with it. He also opted not to have chemo and radiation even before my mom told him it was not an option. I don't understnd how some people who have this type of cancer live longer. He also did not want to be in agony and put through torture either. My mom worked nearby and was coming home everyday at lunch time to check on him. He worked until 2 weeks before he died. She had set up an appointment with hospice and they were coming on Friday August 27th 2004. My dad was ok with this but asked if he could still go to work. What do you say to someone who loved working like he did? NO? She said yes you can work(which was not true) On August 26th 2004 she decided to come home at lunch and stay home. She had a funny feeling. He said you are not returning to work? She said no I am staying home to be with you and I am tired. He said your boss will get mad no? she said no it's ok with her.He argued with her and beggd her to go back to work and that he was fine. Later that night around 6:30 pm he said he wanted help taking a shower. As he was getting out he said he felt like he was going to pass out. Well he did and died in her arms. I got the call around 7:15 pm that night and we headed right over to my moms. I remember this day like it was yesterday, I still see visions of my dad lying on the bathroom floor with a sheet covering him. My dad was 57 when he died. I remember when he told us he had pancreatic cancer. He never calls anyone and this one night he called me and said I have 6 months to live. I was screaming WHAT! I have pancreatic cancer he said. My reaction was not good. I was yelling to him that pancreatic cancer was the worst kind you could get. I felt bad after I said that. I was screaming and yelling for a good hour after we got off the phone. Is this a normal reaction?? I got married without my dad to walk me down the aisle in 2005 but to honor my dad's memory we had scrolls made up stating that we were donating money to the Lustgarten Foundation in honor of my dad. That was everyone's favor. Thanks for letting me vent.