Need Advice plus NC/SC oncologist

After 4 months of GI symptoms and an intermittent GI bleed, my dad (71 yrs old) was diagnosed with Stage IV PC, mets to the liver on 9 July.  Since then, he has met two oncologists locally  - one in Wilmington, North Carolina(near where he lives) and another at Duke Cancer Center also in NC - one recommending Gemsar+teceva and the other Gemsar alone.  Not that these are bad treatments from a medical standpoint, but there was no encouragement to fight.  No hope. Both were dismissive of more aggressive treatments like GTX saying they were unproven and the side effects are worse than the benefits.  
After researching PC specialists, yesterday we went to see Dr Fine at Columbia, whose expertise was so impressive.  Dr Fine feels that my dad needs to get the GI bleed under control (it was never pinpointed) and then he would be a candidate for GTX.

My questions are:
1. Dr Fine thinks the bleed is the tumor, which is on the head of the pancreas, intersecting the duodenum, and wants my dad to have an endoscopy to confirm this and then radiation every day for 2 weeks to stop the bleed (this apparently creates scar tissue.) Has anyone had a similar experience and any advice on this sort of GI bleed?

2. As my dad wants to have his treatment locally, Dr Fine said we would need to work hard to find an oncologist to administer the GTX under his direction as they are very conservative where he lives.  My dad lives between Myrtle Beach SC and Wilmington NC and any suggestions of oncs in the area would be appreciated.  I have already contacted PANCAN.

Thank you for any and all advice.  I have also posted this message to the John Hopkins Message Board.   As so many others,  we are devastated by this diagnosis and the lack of a coherent medical approach.

Jennifer,

I understand your dilemma; however, Dr. Fine is the best of the best.  For myself, if it were me or my loved one, I would move heaven and earth to do as Dr. Fine suggested.  You don't get a lot of chances with pc, and you need to attack with all guns blazing.  

Good luck and God speed.

Joan L 

On 7/21/2009 Joan l wrote:

Jennifer,

I understand your dilemma; however, Dr. Fine is the best of the best.  For myself, if it were me or my loved one, I would move heaven and earth to do as Dr. Fine suggested.  You don't get a lot of chances with pc, and you need to attack with all guns blazing.  

Good luck and God speed.

Joan L 

Hi Joan, Thanks for your reply. We are definitely working with Dr Fine and going ahead with his treatment suggestions asap. My dad is flying back from NY today and hopefully having the endoscopy tomorrow or Thursday, followed by the radiation. I am just trying to learn more about the treatment. And as my Dad wants to have chemo. locally, I am trying to find the best way to do that as it involves finding a local oncologist, willing to to try another approach... All the best, Jennifer