Pancreas head adenoma carcinoma

Resolute · New User Joined: 06 Jan 2008 Posts: 3

My mother was diagnosed with Pancreas head adenoma carcinoma on December 24 th. We're still in shock Sad

She's 60 years old, average weight, athletic, no history of drinking or smoking. Surgeons had an unsuccesfull attemp to do a whipple operation, on December 27th. the superior mesentric vein was wraped by the tumor (160 degrees) . They also found maling cells on the Transverse mesocolon. Liver and colon showed no signs of metastasis. (does that mean cancer is stage 4?)

Now they recommend doing the cyber-knife and chemo to shrink the tumor and re-evaluate the whipple. My question is; how effective is the cyber-knife?

My heart goes out to PC patients and their loved ones. it's such a terrible disease.

brainman

Hi Resolute, my heart goes out to you and your mother. I can only imagine the shock you are feeling.

My experience and knowledge about gamma knives (cyber-knives) have to do with brain cancer. However, I think the same is true for other cancers. As long as the metastasises are belong a certain size, it is better than regular radiation because only the tumor get the full dose of radiation. It can be very good at shrinking tumors.

Your mother is in my thoughts and prayers.
_________________
Jim
Site Administrator and long-term cancer survivor
1992 Astrocytoma grade 2, left motor strip
2005 Recurrence this time said to be an Oligodendoglioma grade 3, same location.
My Story Part 1: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?p=7350
My Story Part 2: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=8029
Blog http://jimhawkinsport.blogspot.com/

Resolute · New User Joined: 06 Jan 2008 Posts: 3

Thank you brainman, what I don't understand is; why can't our bodies fight off these cancerious cells? Or why not the scientiest develop target specific drugs that only kill adenoma cells?

For instance "panckreas vacine" (The vaccine stimulates an immune response against pancreas cancer by targeting unique proteins. An injection is given once eight to ten weeks after surgery, then four more times after chemotherapy and radiation.)

Has anyone tried the vacine? If my mom has a pancreas cancer, how likely that my sister also will develop the cancer in her sixties?

brainman

One of the first awe filled moments I had in my struggle with my own cancer was when I realized that the cancer was not something foreign attacking my body like an infection. The cancer was formed be MY body's cells that had for some unknown reason decided to grow too fast and in abnormal ways.

This means that it will be very hard for scientists to develop a true "vaccine" against cancer. There are several targeted chemotherapeutic agents currently under some level of research. Plus, there are a number of scientific studies about how to stimulate ones own immune system to deal with those abnormal cells. The key it to find a protein or sugar on the surface of a cancerous cell that is not present on a normal cell.

As for your sister developing Pancreatic cancer in the future, I have never heard of a multigenerational link with Pancreatic cancer... not like breast cancer has. However, genetics is only one part of the issue. Your mother and, in fact, all of your family have probably been exposed to the same life style, the same environmental factors, the same diet, etc.

Best wishes.
_________________
Jim
Site Administrator and long-term cancer survivor
1992 Astrocytoma grade 2, left motor strip
2005 Recurrence this time said to be an Oligodendoglioma grade 3, same location.
My Story Part 1: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?p=7350
My Story Part 2: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=8029
Blog http://jimhawkinsport.blogspot.com/

lisao · New User Joined: 11 Jan 2008 Posts: 4

Hi Resolute,

I am semi-new here, posting wise that is. I have read alot on this forum over the last year and a half. I lost my beloved Mother to this monster of a disease almost a year ago. It took me this long to feel emotionally ready to help others deal with pancreatic cancer. My Mom was diagnosed in June of 06 and died in February of 07. She was a perfectly healthy woman who casually mentioned to me in a phone call that she was "all yellow, yup, looked like she got a cheap spray on tan. I told her that she needed to see her doctor, which she did. He had her undergo an ultrasound, where the tumor on pancreas was found, following which she had a CT scan. The rest is pretty routine, stent placement, biopsy, diagnosis. She too had involvement of the mesenteric artery and was not a candidate for surgery. We had been through this previously with my Uncle, and knew the death sentence of this disease. I have worked in the medical field all my life, and called an oncologist I used to work for, who is now working at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, to get advice. He asked me one question, how is she feeling, and I told him she was feeling great, good appetite, and very active. He told me the best advice he could give me was to leave it alone and not do anything. He would recommend chemo and radiation, but only to relieve any pain she was having. It is not a cure. You have to weigh your options very carefully and realize that if she does go the chemo/radiation route (if surgery is not an option) that it will make her sick. With pancreatic cancer, the time you have left that you feel good is a gift. That was the best advice we got. She was feeling pretty good up until the last week of her life. Enjoy what time you have left with her is the best advice I can give you. Take one day at a time or things get to be too overwhelming. If I can be of any help to you, please let me know. My heart goes out to you.

Resolute · New User Joined: 06 Jan 2008 Posts: 3

Hi lisao,

I am so sorry to hear about your mom lisao, this topic touches our hearts. I'm lost of words, I feel like we're given a slow death sentence Sad

My mother complains of having an ongoing fatigue, lack of appetite..she says nothing taste the same. I have read hundreds of pages of similar cases with the same outcome. I wish I knew about the pancreas cancer, I would have made sure she had proper CT scans at least yearly.

Have you tried any alternative therapy for your mom?

I read this at Pancreatica web site: " The Kelly-Gonzalez regimen which involves nutritional support, high-dose vitamins, pancreatic enzymes and coffee enemas is being tested in a phase III clinical trial through Dr. Gonzalez and at the Columbia-Presbyterian hospital in New York City. And the Burzinski regimen in which oral "antineoplastons" are prescribed is in a phase II clinical trial at the Burzinski Research Institute in Houston, Texas. "

Do any of these work?

lisao · New User Joined: 11 Jan 2008 Posts: 4

Resolute,

Please do not take this wrong, but honestly, there is no cure for pancreatic cancer at this time. There are treatments that perhaps extend life somewhat, but the bottom line is quality of life. When my Mom was diagnosed last year, Luciano Pavarotti was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a few months later. He was a candidate for the Whipple procedure, which he underwent. My Mom would hear this after being told she was not a candidate, and wonder if she was doing the right thing by not undergoing any treatment. Surely, he had the best doctors money could buy. She pasted away on 2-1-07 and he died in September of 2006, after many months in the hospital recovering from surgery. It was very strange and very misleading to hear stories of the famous opera tenor, how he was going to recover in time to tour in the next year, he was going to beat this cancer, etc. My Mom would wonder why he was going to live and she was going to die. That is why I am telling you very honestly not to have false hope of beating this disease. Look at it as a very special time to spend with your Mom. Do things with her, talk about things you normally wouldn't. Hug, kiss, hold hands. My Mom had very bad arthritis that became worse when she was not very active. Her doctor put her on prednisone to help with that, which increased her appetite to where she could not eat enough. She gained some weight back and lost that "cancer look." She took enzymes called Pancrese, which help digest the food she did eat, since her pancreas was not working to do this for her. She also took Reglan which helps that stomach move the food through. She liked Ensure, which has a lot of calories and protein and chocolate malts. We also got hospice involved very early on, so they could get to know her and us before she was really sick. I can't think of anything worse then having strangers come in at a time you are facing death. They provided a lot of support, medications, and comfort. In the end, my younger sister, myself, and my daughter took care of her until the end. It is very hard, but it was also in hindsight a great gift. She knew how much she was loved. My heart and prayer go out to you and your Mom and everyone going through this terrible time in your lives, but if you stick together and hold hands you both will get through it. I along with a lot of other people in this forum are there for you.

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