Sep 14 2007
Pancreatic cancer survival
What happens if pancreatic cancer treatment no longer works? Basically the doctors tend to go to their next patient and you are kind of left in the cold when it comes to the medical world: in stead of focusing on a cure, the focus will be on living with as little pain as possible. The new word in your last stage of your life will be "palliative care".
When a patient sometimes has received different medical treatments and they do not work, then over time the cancer tends to become resistant to all treatment. At this time it is important to weight the cost and benefits of new treatment against possible downsides. For father the choice was:
- die because of cancer
- die because of toxic chemotherapy
It may come to a point where you just have to plan on surviving as long as you can with the odds against you.. This is likely the most difficult time in your battle with the disease.
Palliative care
What is important is that you stay as comfortable as possible and seek palliative treatment during this time.
It will help relieve the symptoms of your cancer and its main purpose is to improve your quality of life. Now this is the theory: it’s quite hard to talk about quality when some of your body organs is shutting down.
At some point you may benefit from hospice care but most of the time, this can be given at home. (as long as you fork out the money!). The focus of your care at this stage is to live as fully as possible. Now is also the time to focus on the most important things in your life and never ever to give up hope.
Pancreatic cancer survival : gemcitabine is no miracle cure
Like what we thought about the other "miracle cancer cure" Xeloda: which is chemotherapy in a pill. Sounds less invasive, but the oncologist said: it is still chemotherapy with all the consequences of normal chemotherapy…
According to Dr. Tempero, gemcitabine improved survival duration in comparison with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), with 6-month and 12-month rates of 46% and 18% vs 31% and 2%, respectively. 5-FU would have been the chemotherapy of choice is father would have opted for chemotherapy.
Pancreatic Cancer Survival: Impact of gemcitabine on overall survival of patients with resected pancreatic cancer. Adapted from Neuhaus P et al. J Clin Oncol 2005;23[suppl]:311s.
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Technorati Tags: Pavarotti | Luciano Pavarotti | Healthy living | Exercise |
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