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Posts with tag pancreatic cancer
Posted Sep 14th 2007 2:31PM by Patricia Mayville-Cox
Filed under: Pancreatic Cancer, Politics
Luciano Pavarotti, possibly the most famous classical singer on earth,
received a final sendoff this past weekend in his hometown of Modena, Italy. Pavarotti died last week of pancreatic cancer. More than 100,000 people filed through the cathedral and plaza, more than 700 guests attended the funeral mass and millions watched the live broadcast on television.
Pavarotti underwent surgery for a malignant pancreatic mass in July 2006. A month later, after his surgery, Pavarotti
told the Italian newspaper
Corriere della Sera, "I was a fortunate and happy man. After that, this blow arrived. And now I am paying the penalty for this fortune and happiness."
One could not be surprised that Pavarotti felt this way. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly cancers, with a five-year survival rate here in the U.S. of less than 5%, although surgery can improve survival greatly. Pancreatic cancer is also one of the most
underfunded research areas in cancer. For more information about what you can do to increase funding for pancreatic cancer research and raise awareness of this deadly disease, please see
PanCAN's action page.
Posted Aug 29th 2007 8:41AM by Patricia Mayville-Cox
Filed under: Pancreatic Cancer
University of Georgia Cancer Center researchers are
studying glycans, the sugars that are on the outside of proteins, to determine if changes in glycans can indicate the presence of cancerous or precancerous pancreatic cells.
According to the director of the center, Michael Pierce, there is evidence that when cells become cancerous they change their glycans in subtle ways.
Glycomics is the study of the types and amounts of glycans expressed by cells and their biological roles. According to Pierce, glycomics is the "wave of the future" of cancer diagnostics.
Pierce adds that the use of glycomics in cancer diagnostics is a relatively new field but has already led to the approval of an early diagnostic test for primary liver cancer. Pierce says that if there are such markers in pancreatic cancer, he and his team will find them.
Posted Aug 21st 2007 12:06PM by Patricia Mayville-Cox
Filed under: Pancreatic Cancer
A protein that decreases due to obesity and lack of exercise may also indicate pancreatic cancer risk, according to
researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and collaborators.
The researchers found that people with the lowest levels of a protein called IGFBP-1 were twice as likely to develop pancreatic cancer as those with higher levels.
According to the study's lead author, Brian Wolpin, MD, the levels of insulin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) are changed by obesity and lack of exercise. There is evidence that these hormones may stimulate the growth of pancreatic cancer cells. When IGF binds to IGFBP-1 and other proteins, there may be less IGF to promote the growth of the pancreatic cancer cells.
Posted Aug 19th 2007 4:35PM by Patricia Mayville-Cox
Filed under: Pancreatic Cancer
Women who had gestational diabetes when pregnant may be at a greater risk of developing pancreatic cancer, according to a new
study.
The researchers looked at the health records of nearly 40,000 women who gave birth between 1964 and 1976 in Jerusalem. The study found that out of the 410 women who had gestational diabetes, 5 developed pancreatic cancer later in life. These finding are statistically significant according to the researchers, but further study needs to be done and the absolute risk still remains low.
Previous studies have shown that people with type-2 diabetes have an increased risk of pancreatic cancer, but this is the first study to show a link between gestational diabetes and pancreatic cancer.
Posted Aug 12th 2007 11:26AM by Patricia Mayville-Cox
Filed under: Pancreatic Cancer
As part of a study with the goal of preventing pancreatic cancer in those who are at very high risk, about 20 people have had their pancreases removed at Johns Hopkins, according to a recent article in
The New York Times.
One such individual is Nancy Pratt. Mrs. Pratt has lost both her daughter and mother to the disease. Her daughter was only 37 and lived only three months after diagnosis, leaving two young children. In addition to Mrs. Pratt's family history, an ultrasound revealed numerous pancreatic cysts, leading her to choose the pancreas removal surgery.
The program is under the direction of Dr. Marcia Canto and is limited to high-risk families. Individuals who agree to undergo this removal are "trading the risk of cancer for the reality of diabetes," however, when the reality of pancreatic cancer is taken into account, it seems to be a reasonable choice.
Continue reading Some patients at risk for pancreatic cancer opt to remove the pancreas
Posted Aug 8th 2007 7:14AM by Patricia Mayville-Cox
Filed under: Pancreatic Cancer
A cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor, nimesulide, delays the progression of precancerous pancreatic lesions in mice, according to
researchers at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
Inflammation has been shown to be a factor in many forms of cancer. According to the team, this is the first study to demonstrate the effect of an anti-inflammatory COX-2 inhibitor on the development of pancreatic cancer.
This is not the first time that COX-2, an enzyme that causes inflammation, has been studied by cancer researchers. COX-2 has been studied in terms of the development and growth of breast and colon cancer also.
According to the lead author Dr. Eibl, these results do not mean that everyone should take a COX-2 inhibitor to protect against cancer, but they may play a role in prevention in high-risk populations.
Posted Jul 31st 2007 7:55AM by Patricia Mayville-Cox
Filed under: Pancreatic Cancer
More from the New York Times series on cancer this past weekend:
In another article in the feature,
Gordon Hendrickson talks about his battle with pancreatic cancer ... and his health insurance company.
Upon his diagnosis, Hendrickson received relatively good news, that his pancreatic cancer was operable and that such an operation would increase his survival greatly. However, he also received bad news. His insurance company said they would only pay for the surgery, the highly-complex Whipple procedure, if he went to one of five surgeons in his hometown.
Hendrickson wanted to have the surgery performed at M.D. Anderson in Houston, as the surgeons there had much more experience with Whipples than those in his hometown.
After bringing his evidence to a state review board, namely that
the five surgeons that his plan had recommended had collectively only performed a total of five Whipples in their whole careers, Hendrickson won the case and his healthcare plan covered his surgery in Houston.
Hendrickson's story is yet another example of how patients must be their own best advocates in our challenging healthcare system.
Posted Jul 23rd 2007 3:37PM by Brian White
Filed under: Drug, Pancreatic Cancer, Surgery
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly forms of cancer there is. Decades of research and treatment, however, have not provided the medical community with the tools needed to effectively combat this type of cancer. Will it get any better soon?
One medical specialist says that the industry "needs to think outside the box" in order for frustrated medical officials to
make any new headway in the prevention and treatment of pancreatic cancer.
That one quote could serve as marching orders for all oncologists and cancer specialists if you ask me. Conventional treatment of very deadly cancers does not seem to be going anywhere (and has not for a long while), and if there are breakthroughs on the horizon, conventional thinking will not have placed them there.
Posted Jul 22nd 2007 8:30AM by Patricia Mayville-Cox
Filed under: Pancreatic Cancer, Blogs
Ann Moore of Evansville, Indiana, a former television newscaster and the wife of FOX7 anchor Randy Moore, has started a new website to chronicle her experience with pancreatic cancer. Moore was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer at the age of 50 this past May,
according to the Courier-Press.
From a recent post, Moore ponders that "It is hard not to ask why,"
It's hard to do research because the information scares me. A three percent survival rate. Then there is the risk profile: 74 years old, male, smoker, overweight, fatty diet, diabetic. Well, that describes me, huh? The fact is, I don't know why. And maybe it doesn't matter. All I can do is look ahead.Her husband writes about the website, which he calls a 'labor of love' from their daughter Erin:
Some people approach us easily. Others approach us with hesitation. And others -- even though they care -- just don't know what to do or say. That's okay. It is hard. This website allows people to interact at whatever degree they are comfortable. My prayer is that you'll be strengthened by Ann's strength.The internet has its pros and cons, that is for sure, but I just love this quote by Mr. Moore. It is hard to know what to say to someone with cancer, or how to approach them, or what you can do to help. While creating a personal blog is not for everyone, websites like Ann's and like those at
CaringBridge.org, allow well wishers to send their thoughts and prayers in their own way and allow the recipients to receive them in their own way also.
Posted Jun 29th 2007 12:06PM by Patricia Mayville-Cox
Filed under: Pancreatic Cancer, Cancer Caregivers
Jeffrey Berman, professor of English at the State University of New York at Albany, has published an essay in
Inside Higher Ed, which is adapted and reprinted with permission from his latest book,
Dying to Teach: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Learning.
Berman talks about writing a eulogy for his wife Barbara as she fought end-stage pancreatic cancer,before her death, as a celebration of her life.
He then shared this eulogy with his college Expository Writing class, "in which students share with classmates self-disclosing essays on a wide variety of topics that are rarely discussed in the classroom."
According to Berman, this revelation made many of his students cry but it also allowed them see their teacher in a new light. Berman writes, "My new self-disclosure was different, and they now saw me differently. I was still their teacher, but I had now become another member of the class, one who was struggling, like everyone else, with a personal issue."
Berman weighs in on whether this was the right thing to do, "I don't believe that teachers should unburden themselves to students or seek psychological counseling from them, but I do believe that a teacher's careful self-disclosure of a real-life experience can become a profound educational experience for everyone in the classroom."
Personal revelations, including those of profound joy and profound pain, can make us stronger. We learn to tell our stories and perhaps more importantly, we learn to listen.
Posted Jun 26th 2007 3:20PM by Patricia Mayville-Cox
Filed under: Pancreatic Cancer
CA 19-9, which has been used as an indicator of how far pancreatic cancer has progressed, can also be used to predict how well a pancreatic cancer patient will do after treatments such as surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, according to researchers from Jefferson University Hospital's Kimmel Center in Philadelphia.
Dr. Adam Berger and his team examined CA 19-9 levels in 385 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer who were treated with surgery and subsequent chemotherapy and radiation. The lower the level of CA 19-9, the longer the survival. After following the patients in the study for three years, the researchers discovered that 30 percent of patients with levels of 180 or under were still alive. According to Dr. Adam Berger, who led the study, "We think that it is a very sensitive predictor of response to chemotherapy and radiation after surgery."
If you or a loved one is facing a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, you might want to ask your physician about the CA 19-9 level to gain further understanding of the disease's progression and possible response to treatments.
These findings were reported at the semi-annual meeting of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) in Philadelphia on June 23, 2007.
Posted Jun 25th 2007 10:07AM by Patricia Mayville-Cox
Filed under: Chemotherapy, Pancreatic Cancer, Blogs, Surgery
Diehl Martin of Guntersville, Alabama, has been battling pancreatic cancer since 2004 and shares his experience on his blog,
DiehlMartin.com . Martin was diagnosed in 2004 and underwent a Whipple procedure that year, followed by radiation and chemotherapy treatments. At the end of 2006, he experienced a turnaround as his energy level returned, his pain was eliminated and his tumor marker level was back to normal. Recently, his cancer has rebounded and he shares his experience with increasingly aggressive chemotherapy.
In addition to his daily experiences with pancreatic cancer, Martin offers medical information from a patient's perspective, including details regarding the side effects of painkillers, what a typical chemotherapy infusion looks like and what is involved in a Whipple procedure.
Martin infuses his blog with a strong sense of his faith and cautions that his story is not the typical pancreatic cancer story, as his cancer was caught very early. Martin's generosity of spirit pours out through his words and his ability to see the silver lining in every cloud is inspirational.
Posted Jun 16th 2007 2:05PM by Brian White
Filed under: Pancreatic Cancer
There are certain points on everyone's life where being tested for various cancers should be at the top of the priority list. With that in mind, it's distressing to hear that almost 40% of people with early pancreatic cancer that could have treatment to ward off the disease don't end up getting it at all.
This comes from a recent study, which concluded that the 40% of pancreatic cancer patients who don't see early surgery treatment face a grim and uncertain future.
Life extension is greatly improved by surgery following early pancreatic cancer detection, although the chances for surviving more than five years are not greatly enhanced here. Of particular note here is that the 40% with early detection are not even offered surgery, with
certain groups of people being less likely to be offered surgery. I guess all people in the U.S. really aren't created equal after all.
Next Page >
According to Pfizer, 
Luciano Pavarotti, famed tenor, continues to live with pancreatic cancer and is currently recording a new collection of classical religious music.
