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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Prostate Cancer / July 2007Pancreatic cancer.
A very good friend mine had a positive biopsy for prostate cancer when he was in his late fifties. He decided to persue watchful waiting. Ten years went by and his last PSA had dropped during the past six months from 10 to 7. About six weeks ago his health when into serious decline, with persistent bronchitis and difficulty breathing. Testing and a biopsy last week found a large pancreatic tumor, with liver involvment. He has had a stroke and clots in his leg and now in his lungs. The last I heard it was not felt the the PC was involved. Is it thought that PC very seldom affects the pancreas? (He is a very good friend to many of us.)  Signature0000001000000100000110001000011010001111110010111011101000010000 > A very good friend mine had a positive biopsy for prostate cancer > when he was in his late fifties. He decided to persue watchful [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > -- > 0000001000000100000110001000011010001111110010111011101000010000 PCa metastisizes to the pancreas about 1-2% of the time...ron >> A very good friend mine had a positive biopsy for prostate cancer >> when he was in his late fifties. He decided to persue watchful [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > PCa metastisizes to the pancreas about 1-2% of the time...ron Sorry to hear of your friend's cancer. Pancreatic cancer is generally fatal. See: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/pancreatic/healthprofessional The biopsy of the pancreatic tumor should reveal whether the tumor cells are prostate cells or pancreatic cells. Since the PSA was relatively low, it seems likely that this was not a prostate cancer metastasis, but the biopsy would confirm that. Alan >>> A very good friend mine had a positive biopsy for prostate cancer >>> when he was in his late fifties. He decided to persue watchful [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > Alan Thank you for your concern and the reference. The first thing that he told me was that "at least I won't die from prostate cancer". I would guess that that has been his fear for the past 10 years. At least he got a good 10 years. Terrible things happen to us. Signature0000001000000100000110001000011010001111110010111011101000010000 > > Sorry to hear of your friend's cancer. Pancreatic cancer is > generally fatal. Alan, for what it's worth, a 50 year old friend and co-worker of mine with health problems was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer some 12 years ago. The doctor told him to get his affairs in order and that surgery was not a very good option for him. The (second opinion) surgeon who did the surgery removed numerous tumors from most of his body organs and also told him to go home and get things in order, but that he had a slow growing pancreatic cancer which was rare and he did have some time. Another surgery later removed more tumors they did not want to attempt on first surgery, and today he is still here, 12 years later. I would not want to give anyone false hope here, and even though the odds may be very poor, one never knows. > > Sorry to hear of your friend's cancer. Pancreatic cancer is > > generally fatal. [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > not want to give anyone false hope here, and even though the odds may be > very poor, one never knows. It's hard to call a man lucky who's had pancreatic cancer and had two major surgeries for it, but among those who have, your friend appears to be one of the luckier ones. The NCI web page I cited earlier indicates an "overall survival rate" of 4% - not very good odds. > > > > Sorry to hear of your friend's cancer. Pancreatic cancer is [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > not want to give anyone false hope here, and even though the odds may be > very poor, one never knows. There's other types of pancreatic tumors http://162.129.103.53/pancreas/typtable.cfm Adenocarcinomas, spread to liver, are usually fatal within a year +/-some months, one way or the other. Surgeons sometimes try resecting bile ducts, moving some bile ducts over, resecting gall bladder and a large portion of the liver (and sometimes spleen). Unfortunately often the cancer is in the part of the liver that had to be left behind. The liver regenerates to its normal size. It buys them time. Sounds like your friend's might have been a different type? They just did a whipple on an acquaintance. Removed the gallbladder as well. Turns out it was a cyst. Often they don't know all what is, until they get in there. J There are at least two different types of pancreatic cancer. One of them, very uncommon, is curable and offers little to no subsequent problem to the patient. That guy Jobs who runs Apple Computer had this kind and he's doing fine. Unfortunately for most, a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is a death sentence and a quick one at that. Dave Perry > > > Sorry to hear of your friend's cancer. Pancreatic cancer is > > > generally fatal. [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > > - Show quoted text - >A very good friend mine had a positive biopsy for prostate cancer > when he was in his late fifties. He decided to persue watchful [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > the the PC was involved. Is it thought that PC very seldom affects > the pancreas? (He is a very good friend to many of us.) I hope, for your friend, it is prostate cancer. Pancreatic cancer is usually much worse. |
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