Pancreatic Cancer Awareness: #KnowYourPancreas

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Disclosure: Material in this post is provided for informational purposes only. It is general information and is not a substitute for your own doctor’s medical advice or care.

Purple is my favorite color, it always has been and will always be. However, the color purple now has a more profound affect on not only me but my entire family. On April 3, 2016, we lost my grandfather to Pancreatic Cancer. This month he would have been 85 years old. So, recognizing his birthday and pancreatic cancer awareness in the same month is very sentimental.

Let’s be honest CANCER SUCKS! In 2016, pancreatic cancer has surpassed breast cancer and is now ranked third in the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. This year alone, it is estimated that 53,070 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and 41,780 will die from the disease.

Unfortunately, seventy-one percent of these patients are more than likely to die within the first year of diagnosis. The survival rate of pancreatic cancer is a mere five years and a percentage of 8 percent amongst all other major forms of cancer. The population of which is most affected are African-Americans, who make up between 28 percent and 59 percent higher than the incidence rates for other racial/ethnic groups.

While the overall outlook of cancer incidence and deaths are declining, pancreatic cancer rates are steadily increasing.  There is still no known cause for the majority of pancreatic diagnosis. Even still in most cases it is caught in the latter stage and does not warrant surgical intervention. Recognizing the symptoms is key– abdominal or back pain, weight loss, jaundice, loss of appetite, nausea, diabetes and changes in stool. Often times the symptoms are subtle and are initially attributed to other less serious and/or more common conditions. Currently, there are no measurable indicators, or traces detectable in the blood or other bodily fluids, that could pinpoint the existence of a pancreatic tumor.

If and when one is diagnosed the treatment options are limited. Surgery (often the Whipple procedure – removal of the pancreas head, the duodenum, a portion of the gallbladder, and sometimes part of the stomach ) offers the best chance of survival. A non-surgical option is chemotherapy, which often times includes radiation. At this time it is not considered a curative intervention. It is an outrage that there have only been four drugs that have been approved by the FDA since 1974.  Sadly enough, most pancreatic cancer patients go either untreated or undertreated.

There is HOPE and it starts with you and me! With efforts of waging hope and advocating for those suffering and those who could potentially suffer from this life-threatening disease; we can change the outlook of pancreatic cancer. With the progression of the disease, it is hard for patients to participate in clinical trials. Therefore, instead of more clinical trials we need better designed clinical trials to match patients’ needs.

Let’s #wagehope together this November in efforts to double the survival by 2020!

Resources:

Pancreatic Cancer Action Network- Columbus Affiliate

The James Cancer and Solove Research Institute 

Pancreatic Cancer Action Network 

Wage Hope – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.”Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2016.

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Leslie
Leslie came to Columbus 2 yrs ago via San Antonio, TX. A Kentucky native that bleeds neither red (Louisville Cardinals) nor blue (Kentucky Wildcats). She is a SAHM, homeschooler and Occupational Therapist (OTR/L) by weekend. Leslie and her husband have two boys, ages 6 and 2, and they love discovering new Columbus parks and restaurants! She proudly embraces the title of "boy mom", even when that means knowing more than she would care to know about dinosaurs. Her everyday wardrobe consists of mainly Nike Dri-Fit and sneakers. Leslie lives for her Burt's Bees lip balm and a good ole top knot bun. You can always find pull-ups, wipes, hand sanitizer, and Welch's fruit snacks in her designer handbag. She loves her family, fashion, interior design, working out, being a soccer mom, renovating the families 1962 ranch with her husband, and making a difference in her patients' lives. She recently became an advocate and volunteer for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. It is her hope to bring awareness and help raise funds, for a cause that is near and dear to her heart. She is also the owner and founder of The Penmanship Lab.