Pancreatic cancer is a rare form of cancer that is hard to treat and typically results in death soon after diagnosis. According to the American Cancer Society, for all stages of pancreatic cancer combined, the one-year relative survival rate is 20%, and the five-year rate is 4%. Typically by the time pancreatic cancer is found, the disease has spread through other parts of the body where removal is impossible.
Recently the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a drug that may prolong the life of those suffering with pancreatic cancer. The drug, Afinitor has been tested by the FDA in 410 patients with late stage pancreatic cancer. The studies showed patients lived without the cancer spreading or worsening for 11 months compared with 4.6 months in patients who received placebo.
“Patients with this cancer have few effective treatment options,” said Richard Pazdur, M.D., director of the Office of Oncology Drug Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Afinitor has demonstrated the ability to slow the growth and spread of tumors of the pancreas.”
Some patients did report side effects, which included inflammation of the mouth, rash, diarrhea, fatigue, swelling, nausea, fever and headache.
The drug, Afinitor, is also approved to treat kidney cancer and a rare type of brain cancer that cannot be treated by surgery.
Symptoms of pancreatic cancer
In the early stages, pancreatic cancer is extremely difficult to detect because often there are no symptoms. However as the cancer grows, symptoms may include:
*Pain in the upper abdomen or upper back
*Yellow skin and eyes, and dark urine from jaundice
*Weakness
*Loss of appetite
*Nausea and vomiting
*Weight loss
Treatment of pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer is treated either surgically, through radiation, chemotherapy, or a combination of these techniques. According to the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer, surgery offers the greatest potential for prolonged survival. However, surgery is most effective when the tumor hasn’t spread to any other part of the body.
