Christopher,
This forum is based on hope and positive attitudes, but I will try to be
as frank as it appears you want someone to be. My husband was diagnosed with
pancreatic cancer, he was 41 years old. They gave us a prognosis of 4.7
months. Patrick's cancer had not metastasized at that time and I was hopeful
that he could be one of the 5% that actually survives more than 5 years.
There is no telling how your dad will respond to treatment, so the doctors
really can't give you a definitive answer and rightly so. However, Patrick
survived only 9 months with very aggressive treatment, including an
experimental treatment in New York. The good news is that at the time of his
death, the pancreatic tumor was dead and necrotic. The experimental
treatment had worked. Unfortunately, this type of cancer spreads rapidly and
we could not beat the cancer that had unknowingly spread to his liver. On
March 5, 1999 his liver was clear. One month later, he had multiple lesions
on his liver. He died June 13, 1999.
I'm only telling you this because you wanted frank answers, not to
diminish your hope. Patrick never gave up hope and I think his positive
attitude and quiet courage is what kept him going, doubling the time he could
spend with his sons and myself. We are grateful for the extra time,
regardless of how short it was. Spend time with your Dad. If he wants to
try aggressive treatments, I would suggest either The Center for Molecular
Medicine on Long Island, NY or Staten Island University Hospital. Both
centers have had success with pancreatic cancer. I believe Staten Island has
done more with metastatic disease.
Good Luck. My prayers are with you and your father.
Nisi
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