Jul
my mom found out last week she has a 2cm tumor at the neck of her pancreas arising out of the 'duct' but yet they state it is not on her pancreas it is between the pancreas and another organ. she’s seeing a specialist next week who will stage the tumor and explain treatment if any. is there a chance it isn’t true pancreatic cancer, is there a chance it can be operated on?
Answer:
There are survivors of pancreatic cancer if that’s what you’re asking . . Steve Jobs the founder of Apple personal is a pancreatic cancer survivor . . . so I’m unsure what it is you want to know? I would say your mom situation is very, very serious . . her best chances are to locate a comprehensive cancer center in her state . . these are usually universities or top research facilities and know the latest treatments for this type of cancer. The National Cancer Institute keeps a list of all these cancer centers and recommends them:
NCI: Top cancer centers listed by state
http://cancercenters.cancer.gov/cancer_c…
You should find out as much as you can about her disease and what her options will be . . when you go to see her specialist be prepared to ask questions . . and the only way to know which questions to ask will be from other patients with this same type of cancer:
On the web Suport groups for Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatica
http://www.pancreatica.org/
PanCan
http://www.pancan.org/
ACOR: The Pancreatic Cancer Support & Information eCommunity
http://listserv.acor.org/archives/pancre…
American Society of Clinical Oncology: Pancreatic Cancer
http://www.ascocancerfoundation.org/pati…
Hopefully this will get you started in asking questions, making decisions, and planning the best course of treatment with the specialist for your Mom.
Ideal wishes.
Answer:
The pancreas connects to the duodenum which is the first part of the small intestine. It sounds like this is the location of the tumor. This is a difficult place to resect a tumor as many essential vessels and organs are in this area although it is possible in the hands of a skilled and experienced surgeon. Hopefully the doctor she’s seeing can determine what type of cancer it is and give you a treatment plan. Book Mark it-> del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkList