Pancreatic Cancer Survivors

Hang in there. My wife had the Whipple at Memorial Sloan Kettering on 2/17/03. Now, 3 1/2 years out and scans continue to be clear. Anxiety heightens with coming of each scan, now every 6 months. Our oncologist, Dr. Jeremy Kortmansky, left Sloan this year and now practices in New Haven, CT. Therefore, we switched to be with him in his new practice.

However, the question you need to ask is what the Whipple was performed for. Was it a tumor in the pancreas, or was it out side the pancreas in one of the ducts? The protocol is the same.However, the long range outcomes will be widly different. Otherwise, your search for survivors has no meaning. My wife's tumor was at the Ampular of Vader, not in the pancreas. Good luck to you in your recovery.

jimnsherry said:

Yes, Mine was also the AMPULLAR OF VADAR, I am encouraged greatly by your answer, thanks.

Wow. You have got to get a hold of this article, made available by a friend in June, 2003, or 4 moths after Alice's surgery. I'll give you the details of where to find the research. Here is the statement of hope:

"This review focuses on the management of periampullary pancreatic adenocarcinoma that is localized and resectiable. Althought patients with this subset of tumors constitute only 15% to 20% of patients with pancreatic cancer, these are the only pancreatic cancer patients for whom treatment is clearly curative in intent. Wow!

Article is: Therapy for Localized Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: One, Two, or Three Modalities?
By Peter W.T. Pisters, MD, Vincent J. Picozzi, MD, and Ross Abrams, MD. Address reprint requests to Peter W.T. Pisters, MD, Department of Surgical Oncology, Unit 444, The University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX 77030-4009. email: ppisters@mdanderson.org

I will hit the 5 year mark in May of next year. Doing well.

Hello there, My mom was diganosed with pancreatic cancer on Sept 04, she went through radiation and chemo. Her cancer was in the duodem also! It was unoperable b/c of the attachment to the main artrey! Altough I do believe that her treatments prolonged her life. She battled cancer for 2 and half years! She just passed away in May 2006 and now I know that she is a true survivor!

I know that really doesnt count for you trying to find the longest surviving pacreatic survivor.

Jessica

I am about to undergo the Whipple Procedure. Can you tell me from your experience what I will face? I have a 3 cm muscinuos cyst in the head of my pancreas. PET scan shows potential for caner around the outer rim of this cyst. I am a 56 year type 2 diabetic in outerwise good health.

jawsjr51 said:

I am about to undergo the Whipple Procedure. Can you tell me from your experience what I will face? I have a 3 cm muscinuos cyst in the head of my pancreas. PET scan shows potential for caner around the outer rim of this cyst. I am a 56 year type 2 diabetic in outerwise good health.

I hope you are doing well....I am sure you have had your procedure by now. I had mine done almost a year ago....i made it 6 mo with no signs of growth and now i am hoping to make it to one year....I am 31 years old and had a tumor the size of a softball at the head of my pancreas...the whipple was tough and i had complications such as my wound did not heal like it was supposed to and i had to have a wound vac for many months...I developed a blood clot in my lung and was in the hospital for a week and then on blood thinner for 6 months....but all in all i feel so much better now...i will say a prayer for you and i hope you are doing well!!!

survival after whipple's surgery for pancreatic cancer
I underwent whipple's surgery for pancreatic cancer on 26.12.2007 apollo hospital, chennai, India and I have survived a year without much of a problem. The lab tests of the parts removed revealed that it was neuro endocrine carcinoma on the head of pancreas. it had not affected the lymph nodes. I have not gained much weight after the surgery. I am on insulin. I would like to know more about NEC and also survival after whipple.

B.Selva Kumar
03.01.2009

Whipple survivors
I had a whipple done in 2000 after a diagnosis of PC.......I shall paste in a letter I wrote to Milo's corner (a page associated with pancreatica.org)......this page is specifically for follow up of Whipple survivors....Hello
I thought I had seen and explored every pancreatic cancer site in the universe, but I had never seen one solely dedicated to Whipple veterans. I am both impressed and relieved!
I am an eight year survivor, having had my procedure in April 2000. I had been diagnosed with PC only 4 weeks before surgery, and pre-op biopsy from brush cytology showed tumor to be non-malignant and confirmed with sample obtained during surgery. It became apparent that I did not have PC, classically at least, but what I call necrotizing pancreatitis ,in that due to a probable protein blockage, pancreatic enzymes became activated......I have been informed that 8-10% of tumors are found to be such.
This essential difference makes quite a difference in presentation.......instead of hepatic infection and mild pain I had 4 or 5 massive attacks of abdominal pain, each of which I felt I'd never survive. I add this in order to ask of any commonality with other Whipple "veterans". I was and am alcoholic, though sober since Nov. of '99......the Whipple being one hell of way to modify one's behavior. (I had fought alcoholism, though, most of my adult life). I also had a GP who knew me well, and was ready to believe my descriptions of pain, since after the first hospital admittance nothing conclusive was found having ultrasound, MRI, and cat scan. The subsequent ERCP gave the PC diagnosis.
My recovery, in retrospect, was without incident.......but only in retrospect, as I'm sure you understand! I returned to work about 2 months later and worked until my retirement in 2007. I stayed working 2 years after my earliest retirement date, but left then to enjoy a bit of life......a decision prompted by the Whipple experience, but also in course of my railroad work (exactly 1 year post-Whipple, April 2001) I was involved in a major train derailment where I was thrown through a wall of a passenger car that had become the point of impact with a concrete foundation during the derailment. I needed no further challenge to my mortality......and once again in retrospect .....I suppose that hastened my retirement decision!
Now eight years later, as I'm sure you understand, it all seems to have happened to somebody else. There are uncanny similarities, however, to the described incidents.....the most prominent being survivor guilt. And, as you have indicated, there's not much of a community of numbers. Much like the rapid education just prior to the Whipple regarding one's own anatomy.....you quite accurately describe the subsequent on going education!
I am involved, however in a local group "craigs cause" www.craigscause.ca , a site developed by the daughter of a PC patient, who died from complications shortly after his Whipple.
I am a 58 year old male and have lots of questions and perhaps an odd answer or two, to life post whipple and consider myself fortunate to have stumbled across your site.
Isn't it strange though when well meaning folks comment on how "lucky" you are.......I just nod, while I secretly believe that if I were that "lucky" I would never have needed a Whipple in the first place, and never took the train that day!!

Fortunate yes........lucky no!!

SueBIE2 said:

I wondered that too when my
I wondered that too when my husband was diagnosed with Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer. I didn't have time to do a full search of the site when there were many more available websites to research. He only survived 23 days. Diagnosed 15 August 2008 - passed 7 September 2008. This desease SUCKS!!!! We need more research on PC.

SO FAST?
Hi SueBIE2,
My heart goes out to you. My husband was just recently diagnosed with stage 3 pancreatic cancer. How did he pass away so quickly? Where all had the metastisies spread to? What was his age? I am so sorry that your time was so limited.
LindaNuc