“Is a pancreas cancer diagnosis fatal?”
My husband is waiting on results for his pancreas biopsy. Is a pancreas cancer diagnosis fatal?
3 Answers
Depends if it can be removed surgically or not. If he has pancreatic cancer that is resectable, then he has a 30% chance of cure by combining chemo plus surgery and may add radiation. If it is not resectable or he has stage 4, then it is not curable and the change of living 5 years is less than 10%.
Classically most people recur in 2-3 years even after surgery, making survival of more than 5 years less common. However, combining chemotherapy and surgery has led to much improved results, particularly if the cancer is detected early.
A pancreas cancer diagnosis does not have to be fatal. There are various types of pancreatic tumors so the biopsy results will be very important. For 'standard' pancreatic cancer (adenocarcinoma), the likelihood of cure is lower than compared to a neuroendocrine tumor of the pancreas.
However, a diagnosis of adenocarcinoma is not fatal. The size of the tumor, location, and spread to lymph nodes are very important features when discussing overall survival. Once a diagnosis of your husband's tumor is made, these other factors will need to be discussed with your cancer team.
However, a diagnosis of adenocarcinoma is not fatal. The size of the tumor, location, and spread to lymph nodes are very important features when discussing overall survival. Once a diagnosis of your husband's tumor is made, these other factors will need to be discussed with your cancer team.
