Pancreatic Cancer

jdeansmith39

I am 85 years old, have inoperable pancreatic cancer, and I just started my first chemo treatment of Fluorouracil (5-FU) on September 25th. It has been eight days and I have had absolutely no significant side effects. My second round of chemo will be on October 9th with the addition of oxaliplatin. I am scheduled for 11 more cycles with both drugs. I am doing so well on 5-FU that I am considering holding off on the oxaliplatin. I have three questions:

 

1.    If I hold off on oxaliplatin, is it likely that the chance of side effects will increase with 5-FU as the next cycle is completed?

2.    Can anyone tell me what oxaliplatin adds to the success of killing the cancer?

3.    Has anyone been treated with just 5-FU and successfully conquered cancer? 

lionprncs

Im currently completing round 5 of folfirinox. Which is similar but I've got a couple more drugs added in. I was originally diagnosed with pancreatic cancer but when they performed the Whipple discovered it was ampullary adenocarcinoma. Looks like pancreatic on CT scans. The treatment for both are the same. I just recently started getting side effects that were more than annoying. With Oxi the cold sensitivity will come(I keep gloves by the fridge and became a reluctant warm beverage drinker). It seems the longer the treatment the worse the side effects can become or even develop. My nose recently started dripping blood which is a less common 5-fu side effect(didn't know) the worse side effects to me is the brain fog and memory issues. I haven't beaten the invader in my body YET but there is always hope to see the next day. That's what gets me through. I wish you the best of luck