HE HAS HAD ALL THE SYMPTOMS OF PANCREATIC CANCER AND HE WAS JUST DX WITH IT. HE IS NOT DOING WELL AT ALL AND I CANNOT GET ANY ANSWERS FROM HIS DOCTORS. WHAT ARE SOME SYMPTOMS OR SIGNS THAT THE CANCER HAS SPREAD
Did they DX him through a CT scan, or did they actually go inside and look? Pancreas cancer generally will spread to nearby organs and then the liver. They will do a CT scan of his liver and if he's clean, they will try to shrink the tumor and possibly remove it. The best website to get info is: pancan.org . They are wonderful!!!
Since it is pancreatic cancer, you can be 90% sure that it has spread. less than 10% of all pancreatic cancers have not spread at the time of diagnosis.
I am sorry to hear your news.
I dont think there is any thorough way to answer this question.
You would need to look for the things that I suppose you would first go to the doc with.
Blood in stools, excessive pain,lumps or thickenings,vomiting…things like that but I couldnt honestly say if these symptoms would be connected to his present condition.
The best way of knowing would be regular monitoring from the hospital. Scans,tests etc.
I am sorry I dont have enough knowledge to give you further information.But please dont fall apart and be strong for your Dad.
I just lost my mom to pancreatic cancer. It is a wicked, horrid, and heartwrenching disease. My mom was diagnosed in dec of last year, she died Jan. 1 month and she was gone. Her cancer was the size of a pea in the head of pancreas. did chemo and radiation, then on a Thursday they did x ray and cancer had shrunk, 2 days later, it spread all over. she suffered greatly. I pray for you and your family and your father in law. Just remember God is by your side.
I am so very sorry for you and your husband. Hugs to you and his family.
His physician will have some answers. there will be many tests to come. The survival rate is unfortunately very low.
The lucky ones are candidates for a whipple procedure. They remove portions of many organs, like some of the pancreas, bile duct, gallbladder and duodenum (sp?), and often some of the stomach.
My FIL passed from Pancreatic Cancer in Jan '07. He was dx in Sept or Oct '06. He had been given 6-12 months and progressed fairly rapidly. He did not tolerate chemo, and battled several infections following surgery and chemo. If it is inoperable, it is of course much worse (my FIL was inoperable), as while they administer chemo to attempt to shrink it and remove it, it is a very aggressive cancer and the chemo takes a long time to have any effect.
Usually by the time it is dx, it has fairly well progressed. My FIL's was wrapped around his aorta. Unfortunately, the pancreas is in a tough spot, there is so much there to spread to.
As far as spreading, I am sure it varies person to person. My FIL had bowel and stomach problems starting about 2 months after dx (I was told he was stage II at dx). His stomach shut down about 5-7 weeks after his first bowel symptom (constant diarrhea – unable to make it to the bathroom, plus vomiting, etc). He tolerated TPN for about a month until we moved him to hospice.
This is a nasty, unforgivable disease. I am sorry to be so blunt. Many prayers and positive thoughts your way. I hope your FIL is one of the few that beat it.
While it seems bleak, do not ever lose hope. there is a great wealth of information available on the Internet. here are a few sites:
pathology.jhu.edu/pancreas/DiagMe…
cnn.com/HEALTH/library/DS/003…
cancersupportivecare.com/panc…
cancer.gov/cancertopics/types…
Look into drug trials. there are quite a few out there, but most require no previous treatment.
Hugs
Only test result will tell you that. The doctors should be testing the lymph nodes – which is how it might spread to other areas.
pain, weight loss, cough, memory changes can all indicate metastisis.(spreading of cancer)
I'm so sorry. that it is in the pancreas is bad enough. Just be there to support him. get the family together to support each other.
This is very unfortunate.
Pancreatic cancer is very very bad. In virtually all cases it is terminal.
The problem is that it is not diagnosed in the very very early stages where it is much easier and better to treat.
The symptoms often mask themselves as indigestion, heartburn, or other problems that cause a delay in seeking treatment.
I have had a family member and a close friend who were diagnosed with it. The family member lived maybe an additional 3 months, however, the close friend was diagnosed on the first of March, 2006, and by the 31st he was dead from it.
So you can be sure that if it advanced and just diagnosed, it has spread.
He will experience pain, and a noticeable decline in his health as the cancer spreads into other internal organs. there is no real treatment for the advanced stages – only in the early early stages.
I am very sorry about this and my prayers will be with you, even though I do not know you, God does.
My mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in October of '07. she was only 47 years old, but smoked most of her life. No other history of pancreatic cancer in the family. she went to the doctor for severe itching and left with a timeframe of 6 months to 1 year to live. It was very difficult to hear this and we've all been dealing with everything the best that we can. It's 7 months later and she's still doing great. When she was diagnosed, her cancer had already spread to her liver, making it inoperable. she has been undergoing chemo since November and her last catscan revealed that her pancreatic tumor was slightly smaller and her liver tumor slightly larger.
Unfortunately, if your father-in-law was showing symptoms, that may mean that the cancer has spread. that is what makes pancreatic cancer as deadly as it is because there usually aren't any signs until it has spread.
The most important thing is to stay strong for your family. do research and remember to get a second opinion. Visit pancan.org to get more information and find resources specifically for pancreatic cancer patients and family members.
If the cancer is in his pancreas, the possibility of it spreading should be the least of his worries (and yours).