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Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis- Stage 4 aka Metastatic Disease
To treat stage 4 pancreatic cancer (metastatic), doctors typically use gemcitabine (Gemzar), either alone or in combination with other medications…
Hi David, I’ve come across your page. My dad was recently received a pancreatic cancer diagnosis with stage 4 metastasis in his liver and lymph nodes.
As you can imagine we are devastated but I want to look at every option for him and chemo is terrifying me for him. I want him to do more than just school medicine to heal this.
Where can we hear more about your way of going at this, I would love to talk to you more. I need all the help I can possibly get. Thank you very much in advance. Oliver
Dear Oliver,
I am replying to your post via email rather than my website. I hope that’s okay.
I will make a general statement and then reply to your individual comments below.
I am sorry for your dad’s diagnosis. I can understand your devastation. Please keep in mind that this reply is via email which is an imperfect form of communication. I find it difficult to be both direct and hopeful in cases such as yours. So here goes…
1) ” My dad was recently diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer that is in his liver and lymph nodes”
Metastatic pancreatic cancer is one of the, if not the most difficult cancers to treat. The only good news that I can offer is that you should not be wedded to conventional therapies because they cannot offer you much hope and may result in a short, poor quality of life.
2) “As you can imagine we are devastated but I want to look at every option for him and chemo is terrifying me for him.”
If we were talking just about conventional/traditional therapies aka chemotherapy, I would agree. However, I believe that both “integrative” and/or “complementary” therapies can provide the longest and best life going forward.
3) “I want him to do more than just school medicine to heal this.”
I am assuming that by “school medicine” you are referring to conventional therapies?
4) ” Where can we hear more about your way of going at this, I would love to talk to you more. I need all the help I can possibly get”
Let me be clear. My experience and research tells me that a combination of conventional chemo and evidence-based integrative therapies (for example omega-3, curcumin, paclitaxel…) combined with anti-PC diet, and lifestyle therapies is the best way to proceed.
If you would like to discuss these therapies as well as lifestyle, nutrition, etc. I will provide links below to the pancreatic cancer coaching program and well as to my cancer consulting page. As much information and studies as I provide in the PCCP, I have found that patients and caregivers often also like to talk to me, ask and receive specifics, etc.
Please keep in mind that the “3 months of email support” is the same as what you are asking for, a phone consultation. You can choose either.
Let me know if you have any questions. Hang in there-
David Emerson
- Cancer Survivor
- Cancer Coach
- Director PeopleBeatingCancer
Recommended Reading:
- Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN) as Pancreatic Cancer Therapy
- Pancreatic Cancer-Pharmacologic Ascorbic Acid, Curcumin, Bitter Melon?
- Pancreatic Cancer, Feverfew and Arsenic Trioxide
What does it mean to have stage 4 pancreatic cancer?
“The pancreas is an organ that helps facilitate digestive function and blood sugar regulation. When cancer spreads from the pancreas to other parts of the body, doctors classify it as stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
According to research from 2015, about 53 percentTrusted Source of people with pancreatic cancer receive a diagnosis when the cancer is in stage 4. Treatment aims to prolong life and manage pain and other symptoms…
While there is no cure for stage 4 pancreatic cancer, treatments can help people manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life. Options include:
Chemotherapy is usually the first-line treatment for stage 4 pancreatic cancer. It involves using targeted medications to kill cancer cells. The goal is to increase a person’s lifespan.
A doctor administers chemotherapy, and the drugs may be oral or intravenous. They can kill cancer cells in the pancreas and those that have spread to other organs.
To treat stage 4 pancreatic cancer, doctors typically use gemcitabine (Gemzar), either alone or in combination with other medications…
Bile duct stent or bypass
Gastric bypass surgery
Medications
According to the American Cancer Society, the 5-year survival rate for people with stage 4 pancreatic cancer is approximately 1 percent. This means that 1 out of every 100 people with this type of cancer are still alive 5 years after their diagnosis.
Any survival rate is an estimate. Some other researchers place the 5-year survival rate at 2 percentTrusted Source or 3 percent.
The outlook for a person with cancer depends on many factors specific to the individual. A doctor can take all these factors into account and make informed recommendations.”
Stage 4 pancreatic cancer is incurable. While the median survival rate is around 3–6 monthsTrusted Sourceafter diagnosis, some people live longer than this. Many individual factors, including age and general health, play a role in a person’s outlook.
Treatments can help people improve their quality of life and life expectancy. Many benefit from help and support provided by loved ones, healthcare professionals, cancer organizations, and local or national support groups.