Hi everyone,
I’m new here. My dad (69 now) was diagnosed in June 2021 and I must say his diagnosis was very swift. He had 6 months of chemo and then a successful whipple procedure with good margins. He has a great appetite, is at a healthy weight, and has remained active since recovery. All has been going well until this week where he found out that following a scan 9 weeks ago he has spots on his lungs and has to start chemo again.
I’m just so confused how this could happen following such a successful whipple. I spoke with a nurse online who referred to it as stage 4 pancreatic cancer which shocked me. It doesn’t feel like stage 4 because it is no longer in the pancreas. Are there different kinds of stage 4? Is it better to be the kind of stage 4 where it’s not in the pancreas but in the lungs rather than has grown from the pancreas all the way to the lungs? I am even making sense? This has just come as such a shock.
Hi I have found out that I have a grade 4 cancer in the pancreas It has spread to the liver, so my prognosis is 4 to 6 months. Am I worried, yes ,or maybe I am frightened. I can usually manage to deal with things but this has completely knocked me over. My husband is a plodder, which is fine, but how he will cope I just don't know.
Hi LesAli
I'm certainly not medically trained but stage 4 cancer is generally used to describe where cancer has spread to another part of the body from the primary site.
Unfortunately, although the Whipple successfully removes cancer it often returns either in the pancreas or elsewhere.
Your questions are probably best addressed to the oncologist. Sadly, I don't think there is a 'better' stage 4 in another site.
Squeaky
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