my Mom Had The Whipple Procedure

Hello, My mom is 49 and was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer on December 20/05 (the tumour was in the bile duct) She had the whipple procedure on January 3, but even though the doctors were able to remove the tumour, there is still microscopic evidence of cancer cells (the tumour was touching a blood vessel) My mom is doing great, she's at home recuperating from the surgery (so far, thank God there have been no complications) and she is scheduled to start treatment in a few weeks. Her oncologist has recommended that she take part in a clinical study. The study is comparing 5FU + Folinic Acid VS. Gemcitabine. From all i have read and heard from the doctor's this treatment is basically just going to buy her some time, they say that there is no hope ....... does anyone have any information that could help?? It's so sad to even think that she might not be here in the future .... she's so young, so full of life.

It sounds like she may have bile duct cancer as opposed to pancreatic cancer. Either way those cancers have a poor prognosis unless caught early. If your mom had a whipple, then one assumes it was caught early. Were there any documented mets? Since the tumor was touching a blood vessel this may increase the possibility of mets, but doesnt guarentee it. I would stick with the clinical trial and pray that it was caught early and all removed by surgery. In that case her prognosis is pretty good.

THank you for responding to my message. The doctor's say it's pancreatic cancer, so i'm not sure.......this is all so hard to understand. It's stage III, there is evidence of cancer cells.....which according to the doctors will eventually become a tumour again. I know the prognosis for these cases sucks.....i have read so much about it, that i think i'm making myself sick too........i just hoped that there would be someone out there that would have some success stories. My mom has changed her diet drastically, she is taking natural remedies, and we are all praying that a miracle could happen.

A pancreatic tumor can press on the bile duct if the tumor is in the head of the pancreas. This would cause jaundice. If the tumor is located in the bile duct its bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma). The bile duct does pass through the pancrease just before it enters the intestine. 90% of pancreatic cancer is adenocarcinoma and 90% of patients are NOT candidates for surgery when they are diagnosed because the cancer has spread. So, your mom is in a rare group where surgery is an option. The whipple is the only cure for PC. There are success stories with the whipple. Hang in there and keep praying.

Hi, First of all, I want to express my sympathy with you and your family. I think your mom is one of the "lucky" ones, because her tumor could be removed by surgery. I don't know where you live, but I suppose that there must be good docs around. As to the clinical trial: I would strongly suggest that your mom choses to take another chemo-combo. One of those that have already proven good results in earlier studies and trials. If you want more information ... just let me know. You can post here or write an e-mail to e--- Message edited by CancerCompass staff: for personal protection, email address removed. Please review CancerCompass Member Guidelines at http://www.cancercompass.com/common/guidelines.html ---- There is also another discussion forum for PC patients and caregivers available on the internet with hundreds of new messages every single day. So I would suggest you visit that site for additional info: http://pathology.jhu.edu/pancreas_chat/ Good luck, Wielly