CancerCompass message board discussion started by ant.lora on 7/5/2008 http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,25736,0.htm Sun, 23 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT Sun, 23 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ My husband was diagnosed w/pancreatic cancer May 30, 08 and was a candidate for the whipple. His tumor being 2.5cm. However, during the surgery on June 23, the surgeon found the cancer had metastized to his lymph nodes around the artery and instead of the whipples performed a  bypass for his stomach and bile duct and removed the gall bladder. He was just released from hospital, but continues to have pain that seems to occur mostly at night and builds even though I am giving him large doses of Endone. He starts chemo (gemzar) next week and it has been recommended that he might have radiation therapy.  Before surgery, he had mid chest pain due to ulcers, gastric reflux (at least that's what we thought the pain was caused from) and was given Nexium. The Nexium eliminated the pain. Now I am wondering if it is actually the cancer causing the pain. The doctor seems to think once he is healed from the surgery, he should return to the no pain status. Further, his doctor indicated that a mucin producing tumor of the pancreas is slow growing and his oncologist also says that the size of his tumor suggests that it may be slow growing. Also, I am wondering about the GTX therapy. Is that better than just Gemzar? Anyone else had mucin producing tumor? ant.lora Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hi ThereYour situations sounds similiar to my fathers.  In March this year my father collapsed at home.  We all thought he had bad ulcers and so did the doctors do they set about sealing them off.  They could't get to one so they sent him to another bigger hospital and when he did the tests they found he had pancreatic cancer.  They said that it was an exceptionally rare form of cancer because it produced this mucasey stuff.  So they then took out all of his pancreas and other pieces.  A scan then showed later that there were bits in his lymph system. It is in his neck and the one behind the stomach.  Here in New Zealand they have choosen to do nothing for him.  It has now been 6 months from the operation my father is back to near normal farming and driving race horses, but we all know that this will not last.  The doctors have said that it is a slow growing but they do not know what it is going to do.  They only want to do chemo as a last resort because you do not have many guns to fire at it.  I am not happy with this.  They are talking about gymcidabin or something like that when he needs to g in for chemo.  His CA19 was 47000 but has dropped 700 since the last one.  I don't know if this helps but it might be helpful to know that there are others with this rare mucasie thing  macca Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT PS my father had a lot of pain after eating but his has now subsided macca Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT Thanks for responding to my post. I live in Australia. I am surprised that the doctors have done nothing in reference to your father. I have learned alot about PC on the John Hopkins forum. Even if a person has had the whipple, they usually have follow up chemo. My husband started chemo on gemcitiban on July 9th and had 6 rounds. He is now scheduled to see a radiologist to see if he would benefit from radiation therapy along with 5-FU chemo. It has been a slow recovery. His oncologist has not mentioned anything about the mucous producing tumor that the surgeon advised he had. His CA19-9 marker was 147 on May 31st. It was tested about 10 days ago and we are still awaiting those results. If you are not happy with what you've been told, a second opinion may be warranted. My husband is 66. I am glad your father is doing well so far. It is helpful to know someone else is dealing with a mucous producing tumor. I have found very little information about mucous producing tumors on the internet. Good luck to your father and you. ant.lora Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT