CancerCompass message board discussion started by shirl110 on 3/31/2008 http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,22556,0.htm Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ My husband had his ERCP today in Philadelphia. This was given because his CA 19-9 was elevated. The doctor said he saw some dark spots on his pancreas. He took some biopsies.  Does anyone know anything about this? Has anyone had this same experience? Please let me know if you have. Thanks, Shirley shirl110 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT I'm not sure about what you are saying.  Is your husband being treated for PC or are they just investigating the possibility of PC.   The Johns Hopkins Chat Board is more active than this one, so you should check it out.  You can also click on the links at the site and read the FAQ on PC.  Lots of patients, caregivers, long term survivors, fighters there to help answer your questions. http://pathology.jhu.edu/pancreas_chat/ dmc1944 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT I apologize in that I didn't answer your question.  My boyfriend had the ERCP to diagnose suspected Pancreatic Cancer.  If you go to the site I gave you the link for in the other letters and read some of the posts, you will see that the ERCP doesn't always give the answer.  If there is any suspicion, ask for more testing, CT Scan, MRI, whatever, Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) is a good one also. This is a sneaky cancer that hides out and masks itself many time and some people have several tests and still can't get a diffinitive answer.  If your husband isn't being seen by a Gastroenterologist Oncologist, get him to one for diagnosis and further testing.  Always get a second, and third opinion, if necessary.Is your husband having any symptoms, like weight loss, feeling full or bloated after eating, dark urine, back pain, jaundice.  These are also possible symptoms, but not everyone gets all of them or any of them.   If it is PC, you need to get him to a major cancer center like M D Anderson in Houston, Sloan Kettering in NY, or Johns Hopkins, centers where they are proactive in treatment and where they do lots of Whipples, which is the PC surgery.    Again, I'll recommend you go to this website for more info:  http://pathology.jhu.edu/pancreas_chat/ Remember, don't believe the statistics...he is a statistic of one...and if he is diagnosed with PC you need to know everything you can and get to the best place you can.  There are many PC long time survivors as you'll find on this blog and the John Hopkins Chat board, and they can help. By the way, my boyfriend, age 63, is 1 year post diagnosis and 9 months post-Whipple, and is doing very well.Good luck and stay strong.   I  dmc1944 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT  On 3/31/2008 dmc1944 wrote:I apologize in that I didn't answer your question.  My boyfriend had the ERCP to diagnose suspected Pancreatic Cancer.  If you go to the site I gave you the link for in the other letters and read some of the posts, you will see that the ERCP doesn't always give the answer.  If there is any suspicion, ask for more testing, CT Scan, MRI, whatever, Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) is a good one also. This is a sneaky cancer that hides out and masks itself many time and some people have several tests and still can't get a diffinitive answer.  If your husband isn't being seen by a Gastroenterologist Oncologist, get him to one for diagnosis and further testing.  Always get a second, and third opinion, if necessary.Is your husband having any symptoms, like weight loss, feeling full or bloated after eating, dark urine, back pain, jaundice.  These are also possible symptoms, but not everyone gets all of them or any of them.   If it is PC, you need to get him to a major cancer center like M D Anderson in Houston, Sloan Kettering in NY, or Johns Hopkins, centers where they are proactive in treatment and where they do lots of Whipples, which is the PC surgery.    Again, I'll recommend you go to this website for more info:  http://pathology.jhu.edu/pancreas_chat/ Remember, don't believe the statistics...he is a statistic of one...and if he is diagnosed with PC you need to know everything you can and get to the best place you can.  There are many PC long time survivors as you'll find on this blog and the John Hopkins Chat board, and they can help. By the way, my boyfriend, age 63, is 1 year post diagnosis and 9 months post-Whipple, and is doing very well.Good luck and stay strong.   I Read your reply to a message - congrats to your boyfriend...... I had the Whipple done August 9th, 2006, 2 weeks before my 60th birthday. Had no clue I had it until one day my wife told me I looked yellow. Then the fun began. God bless and stay healthyJust mrtippy Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT Congratulations to you too.  Looks like you are coming up on 2 years.  That's great!  God bless. dmc1944 Sat, 05 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT