Home HealthTopics Health Centers Reference Library Research
Join us on Facebook Join us on Facebook Share on Facebook
Share

Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer

10/18/2007

Question:

i had a whipple in April for Pancreatic Cancer they could not get all the cancer and Path showed lymph nodes are involved. I begin tratment in August with Gemzar and in Sept. a pill was added don`t know name offhand. I need to know appr. how many months i have. Do I count from diagnosis or from surgery? My Dr won`t tell me because he says every patient is different. He did say We are talking quality of life not cure. i want some idea of how long i have.

Answer:

Answering questions like yours is difficult because, as your doctor has stated, every patient is different. However, the five year survival of pancreas cancer is in the range of 15-20%. This means that only 15-20% of patients are cured of the disease. If the cancer has spread and is not curable the median survival is in the range of 6-12 months.

For more information:

Go to the Pancreatic Cancer health topic, where you can:

Response by:

Syed A Ahmad, MD Syed A Ahmad, MD
Associate Professor of Surgery
College of Medicine
University of Cincinnati