Pancreatic Information
A Journey Completed
by Alyssa Phillips
My story has a happy ending, but it didn’t exactly start out that way – at all. In order for me to tell you how I got to where I am today and what I learned along the way, I must first tell you where I began.
Chemotherapy Regimen Extends Survival in Advanced Pancreatic Cancer
A four-drug chemotherapy regimen has produced the longest improvement in survival ever seen in a phase III clinical trial of people with metastatic pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest types of cancer.
Coping with the Side Effects of Androgen Deprivation Therapy for Prostate Cancer
by Sylvie Aubin, PhD
Androgen deprivation therapy is a commonly prescribed treatment option for men diagnosed with prostate cancer. It consists of suppressing or stopping the production of male hormones and usually results in a decrease of the prostate-specific antigen, an important marker of cancer activity. Treatment approaches may include surgical removal of testes or drugs administered on a continual or intermittent basis.
Surprise Finding: Pancreatic Cancers Progress Slowly
Pancreatic cancer develops and spreads much more slowly than scientists have thought, according to new research from Johns Hopkins investigators. The finding indicates that there is a potentially broad window for diagnosis and prevention of the disease.
Chemotherapy Provides Longer Survival than Enzyme Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer
In a clinical trial testing an experimental enzyme regimen against gemcitabine-based chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic cancer, people receiving chemotherapy lived an average of 9.7 months longer. The results are published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Exploring Your Options for Pancreatic Cancer Treatment
It is hard to stage pancreatic cancer accurately by imaging tests. Doctors must do their best to decide before surgery whether there is a good chance the cancer can be completely removed. Surgeons usually consider a pancreatic cancer resectable (completely removable by surgery) if it is staged as T1, T2, or T3. That means it doesn’t extend far beyond the pancreas, especially into nearby large blood vessels (T4). There is no accurate way to assess the lymph node spread of the tumor before surgery.
General Information About Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the pancreas. This summary provides information on exocrine pancreatic cancer.
