Pancreatic Cancer Awareness: From diagnosis to end of life care
As of 2016, pancreatic cancer moved up to being ranked as the 3rd deadliest cancer to date; whereas, in just 2015, it was ranked as the 4th (Hirsberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer, n.d.). Pancreatic cancer is prominent in adults over the age of 60. Cancer research centers, and doctors alike, have researched pancreatic cancer for more than 40 years and it still has the lowest survival rate of all other cancers (Higuera, et al., 2016). My goal is to spread the awareness and inform adults about the symptoms in hopes it will help doctors diagnose it sooner and in turn, help beat the odds for survival.
Any form of cancer is devastating; but pancreatic cancer is the clearly the …show more content…
However, the only way to prove 100% it is pancreatic cancer, is to do a biopsy. These special tests range from non invasive to minimally invasive, at best. Cancer research facilities have not, as of yet, found a specific blood test that is able to detect pancreatic cancer. The most vital step after specialized tests have been conducted and cancer has been found is determining which stage the cancer is in. At this time, your current doctor will refer you to a cancer specialist who will have a whole team of care providers to cover the patient's every need during this …show more content…
Obtaining a second opinion is very important and needs to be done quickly because of how aggressive pancreatic cancer is. In order to be a surgical candidate, the oncologist will look at the patient's current health, age, and location of the tumor. Surgery is only an option if the cancer is still in the first stage and has not spread to other organs, blood vessels, or lymph nodes; and can be resected successfully. If the tumor can be resected the surgeon may take a large portion of the pancreas up to the whole organ to ensure all of the tumor has been removed. Majority of pancreatic cancer patients are not surgical canditates because the cancer was not diagnosed at an early
As of 2016, pancreatic cancer moved up to being ranked as the 3rd deadliest cancer to date; whereas, in just 2015, it was ranked as the 4th (Hirsberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer, n.d.). Pancreatic cancer is prominent in adults over the age of 60. Cancer research centers, and doctors alike, have researched pancreatic cancer for more than 40 years and it still has the lowest survival rate of all other cancers (Higuera, et al., 2016). My goal is to spread the awareness and inform adults about the symptoms in hopes it will help doctors diagnose it sooner and in turn, help beat the odds for survival.
Any form of cancer is devastating; but pancreatic cancer is the clearly the …show more content…
However, the only way to prove 100% it is pancreatic cancer, is to do a biopsy. These special tests range from non invasive to minimally invasive, at best. Cancer research facilities have not, as of yet, found a specific blood test that is able to detect pancreatic cancer. The most vital step after specialized tests have been conducted and cancer has been found is determining which stage the cancer is in. At this time, your current doctor will refer you to a cancer specialist who will have a whole team of care providers to cover the patient's every need during this …show more content…
Obtaining a second opinion is very important and needs to be done quickly because of how aggressive pancreatic cancer is. In order to be a surgical candidate, the oncologist will look at the patient's current health, age, and location of the tumor. Surgery is only an option if the cancer is still in the first stage and has not spread to other organs, blood vessels, or lymph nodes; and can be resected successfully. If the tumor can be resected the surgeon may take a large portion of the pancreas up to the whole organ to ensure all of the tumor has been removed. Majority of pancreatic cancer patients are not surgical canditates because the cancer was not diagnosed at an early