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Tell Congress: |
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Pancreatic Cancer is a disease that afflicts
nearly 37,000 U.S. residents each year and unfortunately claims over
33,000 lives in the U.S. each year as well (and an estimated 60,000 lives
in Europe). For cancer research funding facts
see more information
here. | |||||
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Some Famous Faces of Pancreatic Cancer
Patients Donna Reed,
Dizzy Gillespie, Patrick Swayze, Michael Landon, Steve Jobs, Joan
Crawford, Luciano Pavarotti,
*pictures
and names do not imply endorsement or association with |
After the tumor is formed cancer cells can break off of the original tumor in the pancreas and travel to other organs in the body through the bloodstream or the lymphatic system. When this occurs the original pancreatic cancer has metastasized and the cancer can appear in the liver, stomach, lungs, bones, lymphatic system or anywhere in the body. Though the cancer is now in another part of the body the cancer is still classified as pancreatic cancer as the pancreatic cancer cells are different than other cancer cells and are much more resistant to chemotherapy or any currently available treatments. This is why the disease is so deadly and currently the 5 year post diagnosis survival rate is only 5%.The most common form of pancreatic cancer, which accounts for 75% of all cases, is called adenocarcinoma and it is a non-endocrine type of pancreatic cancer. There is an endocrine type of pancreatic cancer that begins in the cells that produce insulin which is called islet cell cancer and this represents less than 5% of all cases. This carcinoma can occur in either the head, middle or tail of the pancreas. The location of the tumor can play a significant role in how early the cancer is detected, treatment options, and survival rate. Tumors in the head of the pancreas that may effect the functioning of the liver and bile duct will cause a person to experience jaundice which is a yellowing of the skin. Tumors located in the middle or tail of the pancreas may not be noticed until they are so large that their size actually causes patients to have back or abdominal pain. The only effective treatment for pancreatic cancer that can significantly extend life after diagnosis is the surgical removal of the tumor. Unfortunately, only approximately 20-25% of patients have a tumor small enough to be removed and do not have cancer cells already metastasized in other organs in the body. This is the most significant reason why the median post diagnosis survival time is only 6 months for all pancreatic cancer patients. Currently there are extremely inadequate detection methods to determine if someone has a pancreatic cancer tumor short of monthly cat scans of the abdomen. | |||||
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Tell Congress: |
Other surgical options include a distal pancreatectomy, a total pancreatectomy and portal vein resection surgery in combination with a pancreatduodenectomy. | |||||
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November is |
For those who are unable to have surgery
both chemotherapy and radiation are treatment
options though it must be stressed there is no known cure for pancreatic
cancer. Chemotherapy agents such as gemcitabine,
while the standard treatment for pancreatic cancer, will not cure someone
of pancreatic cancer but perhaps slow the cancer down and extend a
patient's life by months. Often patients who have surgery, but who
are found to have cancer cells in the tissue or lymph nodes around the
tumor after surgery, are placed on a treatment of radiation and
chemotherapy in an attempt to kill the remaining cells.
Unfortunately once pancreatic cancer metastasizes it is almost always
fatal which is why the fiver year survival rate is so low. | |||||
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Fund A Cure - Cure Pancreatic Cancer Now - Email Us | ||||||
