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Treatments for stage 4 pancreatic cancer

Antonia
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Hi

My mum was diagnosed stage 4 PDAC end of January 2024. Had several good months of gemcitabine abraxane but showed progression after 7 cycles.

She has now had 4 cycles of FOLFOX, the latest being today. From late Sept to yesterday CA19 risen from 7,000 to 25,000 despite treatment.

CT scan has been moved forward to see what's happening. CNS seems to be prepping us that treatment isn't working and there aren't any more options.

Can FOLFIRI be offered even if FOLFOX hasn't worked? How much success would there be on single agent chemo?

She is 61 and in good health otherwise.

Thanks

  • Dear Antonia,

    Welcome to our online community, I notice you have joined one of our forums and we hope you are going to find this a helpful and supportive place to visit.

    Thank you for your question about your mum and her treatment. My name is Luzia and I am one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the Macmillan Support Line.

    Here at the Macmillan Support Line, we can give general advice and support. We are independent from the NHS and don’t have access to medical records so can’t give personalised information.

    I am sorry to read that that the FOLFOX (folinic acid, 5FU, oxaliplatin) seems to not be working for your mum. You ask a good question about Folfiri (folinic acid, irinotecan, 5FU). Irinotecan is sometimes given as a single agent. If this is suitable as a next treatment for your mum is best discussed with her treatment team. Pancreatic Cancer UK have good information about Chemotherapy but don’t specify either about Irinotecan used as a single agent.

    You may find these questions helpful as you prepare for the scan and her next appointment with her team. If the Chemotherapy options have been exhausted, she may be offered Targeted drugs or immunotherapy as her next option. It is good that she is in good health otherwise.

    I thought for further down the line, you may find it useful to know that there are many clinical trials running. You can find out more on the Pancreatic Cancer UK and Cancer Research UK websites. As an example there are 10 different trials currently going on for Immunotherapy trials for Pancreatic Cancer.

    This must be a very difficult time for you. People often find it easier to talk on the phone Please call one of our nurses directly if you want to talk over your situation. We may then be able to give you further information.

    Take care,

    Luzia

    Cancer Information Nurse Specialist

     

    Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email. If you think it may be useful to chat things over in real time, we have our webchat service available 7 days a week 8am-8pm.

    Ref: LzM/DT

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