KKFX San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria, Santa Barbara - News-Pancreatic Cancer Gains Attention
Member Center:
11/27/09
SANTA MARIA - November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness month.
The National Cancer Institute reports, out of the more than 42,000 new cases of the disease reported this year, more than 35,000 people die.
Even with staggering statistics like that, it wasn't until the recent death of Patrick Swayze that put pancreatic cancer in the national spotlight.
"Unfortunately, at the current time, most pancreatic cancers present when they're either already metastatic and spread to another part of the body, like the liver," says Dr. Brian DiCarlo, an oncologist at Marian Medical Center.
Pancreatic cancer often spreads before it's noticed.
Weight loss, abdominal pain and swelling, and yellowing of the skin, or jaundice, are some symptoms of the condition.
"But unfortunately, when those symptoms tend to develop, the disease is often already pretty advanced," DiCarlo says.
People who are at the highest risk for the disease include smokers, people who've had problems with alcoholism, and the risk is 1.5% higher in the African-American population.
"It's still generally a disease of the elderly," says DiCarlo. "The vast majority of patients are over 60, and I think about 80% are over 65."
The disease made headlines this year when Patrick Swayze died of pancreatic cancer at the young age of 57.
Luciano Pavarotti died of the disease little more than one year after being diagnosed.
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg have also suffered from the cancer.
"The standard thing is to resect the tumor," says DiCarlo. "The surgery is something we call a Whipple procedure, which is taking out the pancreas and several of the other surrounding organs, and it's a big surgery, but if done well, can lead to a cure."
While complete remission is a possibility, it's still more the exception than the rule.
"I think it's sort of thought of as a hopeless disease or a fatal disease, and we haven't had as much success with research," says DiCarlo. "I think the key is raising money, raising awareness, and pushing research forward in this disease."
For more information on Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, or to donate to the cause, visit the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network webpage.
