Pancreatic Cancer Life Expectancy

Question: The docs think my dad has pancreatic cancer. Anyone have exp. with it and life expectancy? I would like to know of what you know about it, any information is great. Thank you.

Answer: Pancreatic cancer has a really poor prognosis…the 5 year survival rate is usually less than 2%, although people who have had Whipple's procedure have a 5 year rate of 25%. It depends on how far the cancer has progressed, though; usually fewer than 20% of patients are eligible for that operation. The median survival is about a year. I'm really sorry.

Question: pancreatic cancer diagnosed 10mths ago liver cancer 2 months ago what is life expectancy jaundice & fluid in.? once the jaundice & fluid have been detected what is the life expectancy

Answer: DONT think of dying be strong and fight it you can do it. just go find the right doctor and pray to god he will help you i promise. hope u get better and sooon.

Question: If someone is diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, and are getting chemo what is their life expectancy?

Answer: In my aunt's case, it was only a matter of a few months between the diagnosis and her passing. And in all honesty, the chemo only took away from the quality of her last days. Unfortunately, pancreatic cancer is a very serious condition, as I'm guessing by now you are aware. Stage 4 means the cancer has spread from the place of origin to at least one other body organ. Although there is a surgery for pancreatic cancer patients, that a large number of physicians are unaware of, that studies show offers a chance at a longer life expectancy (possibly up to 5 years), I doubt that at this stage the surgery would be offered. Of course, I am not a doctor, but from personal experience I would say the end is quite near. My prayers for peace and comfort to you and the one afflicted.

Question: Pancreatic Cancer? I resently had a family member told she had this cancer. What is the life expectancy with it?

Answer: I have lost two family members to pancreatic cancer. I hope that this will prevent you from having to experience a loss. http://www.geocities.com/cure.cancer/

Question: Does anyone have anything to share about someone diagnosed with pancreatic cancer stage four locally advanced What is the life expectancy and does chemo-radiation help or worsen things. What and how will things prevail?

Answer: Hi My mom had surgery at the beginning of Feb to fix a bowel obstruction. Cancer was the obstruction. The Dr's re-routed the intestine around the tumor, and basically sewed her up and told her she had 2-3 months. She is a stage 4. She has been in the hospital the last 2 weeks, with a collapsed lung & pneumonia. Last week she had another obstruction, and we were told if they couldn't get rid of it, she'd have about 2-3 days. She passed that hurdle, but is not doing well. She barely eats and has dropped so much weight, that she looks like a skeleton. Right now she is on some pretty strong drugs, like morphine. My mom never had chemo, as she was too weak. The Dr told us it wouldn't make alot of difference anyways. We were told from the time of symptoms until death was anywhere from 3-7 months. That was an average, depending.We were also told, by the time most people know they have pancreatic cancer, it's too late for treatment. Chemo might slow it down abit, but basically it's a death sentence, unless it's found very early, by mistake. My moms had already started to spread, by the time they figured out what was wrong with her. She has had enough, and says she just wants to kick the bucket. It's very tough watching someone die, but we all die, and at least they can keep you pain free.

Question: My M-I-L has been told that she has pancreatic cancer. She also has stage 4 breast cancer.? The breast cancer has spread to her lower back and pelvis. A week ago, found out, it was also in her bones. I'm in the military and leaving for a deployment, in like a couple of days, and my wife called and said that she just found out that she has it in her lungs now and possibly going towards her brain. What can we expect for her life expectancy? Like I stated earlier, I'll be gone on my deployment and it kills my sole not to be there for her in her time of need. Just wanted any info that I could tell her to try and prepare her and also me.

Answer: It is just a matter of time now. Iam so sorry for what you and your family are going thru. Ask for an emergency leave . May God Bless and comfort you all.

Question: what do you think the life expectancy would be? my father in law has been going through treatment for pancreatic cancer for the last 9 months. they just did a scan and said it hasn't got worse but it hasn't got better. there is also a spot on his liver. they now say they are not going to do any more treatments on him and just let him be. who long do you think he will last. this is tearing my husband apart and i'm trying to give him the best outlook that i can but i do know know what to say. my father in law has been well with the treatment not getting sick and not losing weight. do you think he has a descent about of time left? thank you for your response. he had colon cancer 2 yrs ago and was successfully treated with 2 rounds of radiation and 1 round of chemo. this time he's already had 2 rounds of radiation and 2 rounds of chemo. he is 77 yrs old. they said his body couldn't tolerate surgery. they are not sure he'll be able to withstand another go of therapy. with all of the treatment it has only stopped it from growing but not decreasing the size. i am totally ignorant to anything cancer because i have not had to deal with it in my family. it was caught very early on during a check up and he is still doing very well.

Answer: There are a couple issues going on here . . a patient has a right to be treated if they want to . . a doctor has an obligation to offer the treatment. A doctor can make recommendations or say that the care is only palliative . . but it is up to the patient to make those decisions and not the doctor. So . . if may be your father in law who has made a decision not to pursue treatment . . or maybe he thinks he has no more options. It is hard to tell from your post . . but many people falsely assume that the doctor is telling the patient there are no more treatments . . when in fact . . the doctor is offering an opinion that treatment may not be effective anymore . . and the patient has a choice . . continue with ineffective treatment or have no treatment and let 'nature' take its course. So . .your father in law might want to seek out a second or third opinion . . he want encounter a doctor who has more insight or skill who is willing to help him battle the disease. That is up to your father in law . . he can locate information from others with the disease: Pancreatica - support group http://www.pancreatica.org/ Pan Can http://www.pancan.org/ ACOR:The Pancreatic Cancer Support & Information eCommunity http://listserv.acor.org/archives/pancreas-onc.html You might want to pick up the book "the Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch who recently died from pancreatic cancer . . he survived for quite some time . . you should also know that statistics do not apply to individuals . . so it is not possible to know how long your father in law will survive . . he may outlive everyones expectations or he may pass quickly. So . . what you do is just enjoy the moment with him and do not look into the future. Best of luck.