On 7/9/2009 BocaSun1977 wrote:My dad his attempted whipple done at Indiana U's Medical Center in Indianapolis,by Dr. Henry Pitt. It was unsuccessful, but not by any fault of the medical team.
They're also high volume and a spin off from JHU in MD.
My sister, who is 62, was diagnosed two weeks ago with Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer with liver mets. She was able to get into The Pancreas Center at Columbia University, which as I understand from the nonstop research that I have done since her diagnosis, is getting the best results of any center right now in the country of treatment of this type of cancer. Their website is www.pancreasmd.org.
The oncologists at the Pancreas Center are Dr.Fine, who developed the GTX regimen, and Dr. Sherman. My sister began her first round of chemo this week. The regimen is 2500 mg of Xeloda by mouth for 14 days, with a chemo drip of Gemzar and Taxotere on days 4 and 11. On days 15 through 21 there is no medication. Then the next 21 day cycle begins.
There are statistcs on the Pancreas Center website that show the results they have had from the use of GTX both after surgery for PanCan, as well as for metastatic pancreatic cancer. They have been able to improve the survival time for many patients. A doctor there told me that the median survival for someone diagnosed with PanCan that is on the GTX regimen is 1 1/2 years. That is a significant improvement than what they were getting from Gemzar alone and from what I have researched is also a significant improvement than what they are getting from the other trials of Gemzar with other chemo meds.
I wish the best for you and your family. I don't know where you live or your proximity to NY, but I would urge you to contact them to see if you could consult with them about your surgery. If chemo is then required, my understanding is that they can possibly administer chemo with your local oncologist since they take referrals from cancer specialists around the country.