Pancreatic Cancer
What do actor Patrick Swayze, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Detroit Lions Security Chief Ricky Sandoval, Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch and opera singer Luciano Pavarotti have in common? They were all, at one time, given a cancer diagnosis – specifically, pancreatic cancer. Sadly Ricky Sandoval, Randy Pausch and Luciano Pavarotti are no longer with us, but their public battle against this monstrous disease are helping raise awareness about one of the deadliest of all cancers, and helping clinicians find a cure.
According to the National Cancer Institute, more than 42,000 individuals will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year, and 35,000 of those will die. That is because by the time this deadly cancer is discovered, it is too far advanced for any meaningful treatment. No one knows how pancreatic cancer develops, although there are several risk factors, including smoking and obesity. However, non-smokers and thin people develop pancreatic cancer, too. Unfortunately, there is also no screening test to determine whether or not an individual is at risk for developing the disease, but researchers are working to put that in place within the next five years.
The other discouraging piece of information is that its symptoms are vague and mimic other diseases. So while an individual might be complaining about stomach upset, diarrhea, weight loss, depression and vague back pains, the doctor may be testing for things that are totally unrelated to pancreatic cancer. It isn’t until jaundice sets in or the patient has a severe medical crisis that a firm diagnosis is made – usually through a CT scan, coupled with a CA-19-9 blood test and an endoscopic ultrasound, where a small camera is inserted down the patient’s throat and travels to examine the pancreas.
The only real chance for a pancreatic cancer cure is a complicated surgery called “The Whipple.” During this lengthy operation, parts of the pancreas and large portions of the patient’s digestive tract are removed or rerouted. There is usually a long recovery period and the patient will need to adjust their diet for the rest of their lives. In many cases, they become diabetic, since the pancreas is the organ that helps regulate insulin. Unfortunately, very few people are eligible for this surgery, since by the time the tumor is discovered, it has metastasized to other parts of the body. Once that happens, the only treatment option is chemotherapy, which can not cure the cancer, only stave off the inevitable. Any cancer diagnosis is terrifying, but those who find out that their cancer is in the pancreas have an elevated sense of fright because of the grim statistics. Finding a way to detect pancreatic cancer early, along with discovering more powerful chemotherapy agents, will help eradicate the high number of deaths occurring from this deadly disease each year.