Brand New to this.....

angie7920 · New User Joined: 14 Aug 2007 Posts: 2

I am unsure about why I am doing this but I am at a loss as to what else to do. My Aunt has just been told by the doctors here (Canada) that they have found a mass on her pancreas and another one on her liver. She originally went into the hospital last week with a blood clot in her leg. She has been told that it is unlikely that the masses are not cancer. We are waiting for a visit from the oncologist as well as when she will be going for a biopsy (I assume for a definite diagnosis). From what I have read on the multiple sites is that once it is in both the pancreas and the liver it is considered to be stage IV. I am looking for see if anyone can give me an idea of how long we have and if anyone has tried alternative medicines at a Stage IV. Such as ground apricot as an example.

Thanks

Angie

brainman · Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 2:40 am Post subject: Re: Brand New to this.....

Angie, I am terrible sorry to hear about your aunts recent diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. As you have probably already read, there is no none cure for this cancer. There are methods of slowing it down with aggressive treatment. With aggressive treatment, there are some members of the community that have survived with grade IV Pancreatic Cancer for several years. However, prognosis varies for each individual. The best source for a prognosis is your aunt's own medical team. Remember that a prognosis is a statistical statement: x % of people survive y number of years. This means that some do survive longer than what the doctors will tell you. I just be dead due to my brain cancer if my original prognosis was correct because on 10% of patients survive 10 years. I am approaching my 15th year. I have had one recurrence but for the last 2 years my MRIs have been clear. I like to know what my odds are but I always bet on beating the odds.

As for alternatives to standard chemotherapy... there are many people who will try to sell you on their favorite berry or tea or ground pant. Specifically about apricot seeds, the contain cyanide compounds that are at least as toxic as standard, scientifically studied chemotherapy agents. To my knowledge, apricot seeds have never undergone a double-blind human studies so I would stay way from them.

I will keep your aunt in my thoughts and my 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/

freeio · Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 7:55 am Post subject: laetrile

Angie,

I have been in stage IV for more than a year now, and with conventional treatment am still here and functioning reasonably well. The alternative therapies have stayed alternative because they have not proven themselves in rigorous medical testing. If this were not so, then the parmaceutical companies would have figured out a way to sell them and make money on them by now.

For what it is worth, being in stage IV is an indication of how the cancer has spread, rather than what the prognosis is for survival. Yes, having it in both pancreas and liver is a complicating factor, but it is not by any means an immediate death sentence. My pancreatic adenocarcinoma has spread to my liver, lungs, lymph nodes, periteneum, and bones, and yet I am still quite functional. Yes, it is a major bother to go through the treatments, but if that is the worst of my troubles, I am well off indeed.

You might find my pancreatic cancer blog useful, as I have written all about PC and its treatment over the last three years. My case is a bit unusual, but it has given me the chance to write about lots of PC topics, and provide information of a lot of potentially useful subjects. The blog is listed below.

Best wishes,

Marty
_________________
-------------------------------------------------
whipple procedure, Oct. 21, 2004
28 days of radiation
56 days of Chemo using Xeloda
diagnosed as progressive recurrent pancreatic adenocarcinoma (Stage IV) Jun. 20, 2006
was treated with gemcitabine, oxaliplatin, and tarceva, which all failed.
Cancer blog: http://diehlmartin.com/cancer.html

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