After her third visit to the ER for uncontrolled vomiting, Shelly Wyman put her foot down and refused to leave. As a nurse she knew that something more than a stomach virus was the problem. After surgery to remove an obstruction, Shelly received the pancreatic cancer diagnosis. But her surgeon encouraged her to fight and to have hope. Help me find a pancreatic cancer expert near me. Learn more What are the risk factors for pancreatic cancer? Learn more Tags long-term survivor Follow Us @letswinpc facebook.com/letswinpc @letswinpc LetsWinPancreaticCancer letswinpc.medium.com Re ..read more

A pilot study presented at the 2024 AACR Annual Conference (San Diego, California) suggests that for people with borderline resectable pancreatic cancer, administering an immunotherapy drug called a PD-1 inhibitor in combination with chemotherapy before surgery is safe and may improve long-term outcomes. Borderline resectable tumors are in more difficult locations for surgery, often touching or wrapped around vital blood vessels, making surgery tricky, with a possibility of some cancer cells being left behind. The challenge in treating patients with borderline resectable disease is two-fold ..read more

Margo Chilcott Pain and digestive troubles lead to diagnosis Surgery removes part of my pancreas and my spleen Choosing not to have chemotherapy and radiation Emotional support and faith My name is Margo Chilcott and I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at 79 years old.  It was like a slap in the face. I had been very active before the diagnosis. It was early 2022 and I was entering the 35th year of teaching Catechism at my church. I walked about three miles a day and cared for one of my great-grandsons. I did all my shopping and cleaning by myself. Suddenly, I couldn’t eat salads ..read more

Cook For Your Life; Fred Hutch Cancer Center When you have pancreatic cancer, getting the calories you need, and eating nutritious food, can be a challenge. Cancer treatments and their side effects are well-known for their ability to change your appetite. But the resulting fatigue and sensory changes, such as altered taste and smell, can also interfere with your ability to cook and prepare healthy foods. “Good nutrition can help optimize treatment, and cooking is an essential tool patients can use to support their long-term health,” says Starla Garcia, a registered dietitian with the Integra ..read more

The novel mRNA vaccine for pancreatic cancer has expanded its phase II clinical trial locations to include multiple sites across the world. This experimental approach with the cancer vaccine candidate autogene cevumeran continues to show potential to stimulate an immune response that may reduce the risk of the disease returning after surgery. The mRNA vaccine has received extensive coverage from the media and patient advocacy groups like Let’s Win. Making clinical trials accessible to more people is one of the cornerstones of advancing science. The trial locations now include multiple or sin ..read more

Judd Levy Pancreatic cancer found without symptoms Chemo, Whipple surgery, and more chemo Positive attitude helps I discovered that I had pancreatic cancer by accident—I had no symptoms whatsoever. In December 2018 I went to my doctor for a routine exam, and there was some blood in my urine. An endoscopy and subsequent CAT scan indicated pancreatic cancer. The official diagnosis? Stage IV pancreatic adenocarcinoma. I Was Lucky My family was distraught. The first person outside my family with whom I discussed my diagnosis was a urologist who was a good friend for over thirty years. He told ..read more

Phil and Pam Gradwell; Flickr Can a new drug that interrupts a number of cellular processes make standard chemotherapy more effective in people with metastatic pancreatic cancer? Because pancreatic cancer is very often diagnosed after it has spread, better treatments are needed for metastatic disease. In an international phase II/III clinical trial, researchers are testing the drug SBP-101 in combination with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel to see if the trio of drugs increases overall survival. How the Drug Works SBP-101 is a synthetic analogue of polyamine, a molecule that tumor cells depen ..read more

Zcsharp; Wikimedia Commons The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting brought together physician-scientists and researchers from across the world to showcase potentially promising treatment breakthroughs for many different types of cancer. The theme of this year’s meeting, held in Chicago from May 31 to June 4, 2024, was The Art and Science of Cancer Care: From Comfort to Cure. Here, Let’s Win highlights just some of the novel ongoing research in pancreatic cancer. We will cover some of this research, as well as other promising studies, in more detail in the coming month ..read more

When Rich Grodin was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, his first thought was how to get better. His wife Staci used her experience as a Lyme disease advocate to research and find the right doctors for Rich. He’s doing great and enjoying time with his family, doing the things he loves. Why is a family medical history important? Learn more What are the symptoms of pancreatic cancer? Learn more Tags BRCA long-term survivor Follow Us @letswinpc facebook.com/letswinpc @letswinpc LetsWinPancreaticCancer letswinpc.medium.com Recent Stories Survivor Stories June 11, 2024 • 3 Min A ..read more

Tony Austinson Chemotherapy with FOLFIRINOX Whipple procedure Support group for men I first realized that something wasn’t right when I found myself losing weight without dieting or exercise. I was also very fatigued. I went to my doctor, who ordered blood work and a CT scan. And then, on April 19, 2023, I was diagnosed with stage Ib pancreatic adenocarcinoma. I was 53 years old and didn’t expect any of this to happen. But I was lucky—we found it early. Chemo + Surgery Within two weeks, I began treatment with Dr. Ben Zhang at Minnesota Oncology in Burnsville, which is close to where I liv ..read more