radiation for pancreatic cancer

cbirger
cbirger Member Posts: 3
in Rare and Other Cancers #1
Husband has pancreatic locally advanced stage 3, non-resectable (at this point). Considering radiation after we finish Fulfironox for 12 weeks. Has anyone done radiation after Fulfironox? And, if not, what have you done?

Comments

  • Oneshot
    Oneshot Member Posts: 153 Member
    #2
    Radiation
    In 2008 I had 30+ days of rads and chemo for stage 3 pancreatic cancer. Chemo was Gemzar and I'm sorry to say, I can't recall how many weeks I took chemo during the rad treatments and then for some time longer after rads were through. It seemed forever. Then one month to build my strength up. With no chemo in order to gain back some strength and then surgery (Whipple). Another month to get healed from surgery and then followed up with more chemo (Gemzar) for an other six weeks.

    I had aggressive and truthful doctors! I was told I might have 6 months without treatment and no guarantees of how long I had even with the surgery. All scans showed an artery encased also.

    Long story short. A lot of prayers and half a day of surgery later. Part of my pancreas,stomach,small intestine and my gallbladder are gone but, I'm still here.

    The radiation (in my case) made the cancer surgery possible!

    Will keep your family in my prayers!
    Oneshot
  • LL
    LL Member Posts: 6
    #3
    Oneshot said:

    Radiation
    In 2008 I had 30+ days of rads and chemo for stage 3 pancreatic cancer. Chemo was Gemzar and I'm sorry to say, I can't recall how many weeks I took chemo during the rad treatments and then for some time longer after rads were through. It seemed forever. Then one month to build my strength up. With no chemo in order to gain back some strength and then surgery (Whipple). Another month to get healed from surgery and then followed up with more chemo (Gemzar) for an other six weeks.

    I had aggressive and truthful doctors! I was told I might have 6 months without treatment and no guarantees of how long I had even with the surgery. All scans showed an artery encased also.

    Long story short. A lot of prayers and half a day of surgery later. Part of my pancreas,stomach,small intestine and my gallbladder are gone but, I'm still here.

    The radiation (in my case) made the cancer surgery possible!

    Will keep your family in my prayers!
    Oneshot

    radiation
    My husband, like you Oneshot was diagnosed with Stage 3 P.C. in Nov. 2007 and was given 6 mos. to live. He had 9 weeks (24 hours a day via port) of Gemzar and 5FU along with 8 weeks (5 days a week) of radiation to shrink the egg sized tumor that was wrapped around a major artery. Treatment was successful and he was able to have the 6 hour long Whipple in March of 2008. He rested for 2 months and started "cleanup" chemo (Gemzar) for the next 5 months and remained in remission until Dec. 2009. He started chemo again, this time was Gemzar, 5FU and Oxiliplatin and he continued for 15 months until he passed in April of this year. Only a small percentage of patients can actually have the Whipple. Radiation in his case, as in yours, made surgery possible. He was a healthy, active 39 yr old at time of diagnosis and because of that he made it 3 years longer than expected. Prayers to anyone fighting this horrible beast.

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