How long after radio/chemotherapy treatments, did your surgeon remove your panctreatic tumour?

Nunu123
Nunu123 Member Posts: 11
edited March 2014 in Rare and Other Cancers #1
My husband was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer last month. We went in with what we thought was food poisoning and came out with this Cancer.
He becaume jaundiced and we flew from St Petersburg, Russia, where we were living at the time for work reasons to Malta.
In Malta, he was hospitalised and on IV. We were operated on, the intentiin was a whipple proceedure. The surgeon could not do it because he said the tumour - was sitting on a artery or vein. He did a double bypass instead to relieve him of the jaundice.

So we cam out, not clear, depressed, very confused and wondering what to do.

Tyhe surgeon and oncologist have told us that the plan is to shrink the tumour a little to make it operable and then to remove it.

We are undergoing a five week course of daily radiotherapy and once per week chemo (Gemzar).

I would like to know if anyone else has gone through this and any tips and advice.

If so, how long before you had the operation before chemo/radio treatment ended? Does the surgeon wait long for the swelling to go down?

I am asking because I am nervous and want to know if there is a risk of spread after the treament or if we could have an option to carry on with chemo up until the operation?


Are PET scans accurate in showing how far the tumour has shrunk? How can they tell what the swelling is and can they tell if the cancer cells have been destroyed from the chemo/radiotherapy?
We are really down and depressed. We jave no support network here and are completely alone.

Comments

  • Oneshot
    Oneshot Member Posts: 153 Member
    #2
    Nunu123 Reply Vanished
    Nunu123 I had typed out a reply to answer your questions but, when I went to post it, it vanished. Check your CSN E-mail I sent an e-mail to you.

    Oneshot
  • Nunu123
    Nunu123 Member Posts: 11
    #3
    Oneshot said:

    Nunu123 Reply Vanished
    Nunu123 I had typed out a reply to answer your questions but, when I went to post it, it vanished. Check your CSN E-mail I sent an e-mail to you.

    Oneshot

    Thanks
    Hi there, I just sent you an e-mail from CSN email. Thanks for replying, I'll wait for your e-mail with your reply. Cheers.
  • bosco134
    bosco134 Member Posts: 4
    #4
    sounds just like my husbands
    sounds just like my husbands Tumor but the Dr. was able to remove it and it was attached just like yours it took him 7 hours to do the surgery along with the whipple and 6 lympth nodes taken his tumor has the size of and eggplant sitting on the head of the pancreas and near the deodrum the surgeon cryed 3 times while explaining how difficult it was he was completely exhausted. We were told that chemo needed to be done to shrink it but when we received another opinion he said it would never shrink enough and the location was so close to the main artieries ( my spelling is bad) Try and find a Dr how is talented enough to do this operation and has done alot of them it is a difficult one. My husband is doing good in his recovery so hang in there.
  • Aezoro
    Aezoro Member Posts: 2
    #5
    bosco134 said:

    sounds just like my husbands
    sounds just like my husbands Tumor but the Dr. was able to remove it and it was attached just like yours it took him 7 hours to do the surgery along with the whipple and 6 lympth nodes taken his tumor has the size of and eggplant sitting on the head of the pancreas and near the deodrum the surgeon cryed 3 times while explaining how difficult it was he was completely exhausted. We were told that chemo needed to be done to shrink it but when we received another opinion he said it would never shrink enough and the location was so close to the main artieries ( my spelling is bad) Try and find a Dr how is talented enough to do this operation and has done alot of them it is a difficult one. My husband is doing good in his recovery so hang in there.

    Sounds like my wife
    Very similar situation. In Jan, my wife was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Actually we only found recently what it actually was. First Jaundice, then Cancer indication. We went the lehigh valley hospital
    network and could not manage up get a proper biopsy. So we went to Fox chase in Philly, there she had the whipple for 7 hours. The surgeon removed the tumor which was 3/4of an inch. Chemo and radiology is next. 4 out of 30 of the lymph modes are still enlarged. She is a bit concerned about the chemo/radilology(5 1/2 week with radiology 4 times per week)
  • Nunu123
    Nunu123 Member Posts: 11
    #6
    Aezoro said:

    Sounds like my wife
    Very similar situation. In Jan, my wife was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Actually we only found recently what it actually was. First Jaundice, then Cancer indication. We went the lehigh valley hospital
    network and could not manage up get a proper biopsy. So we went to Fox chase in Philly, there she had the whipple for 7 hours. The surgeon removed the tumor which was 3/4of an inch. Chemo and radiology is next. 4 out of 30 of the lymph modes are still enlarged. She is a bit concerned about the chemo/radilology(5 1/2 week with radiology 4 times per week)

    We went through radio and
    We went through radio and chemo and now we have liver lesions. I am so scared, anyone had this? Apparently the tumour has responded to treatment but they re-staged my husband. What treatment options are available?

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