THE GEORGIA DOME WAS THE HOME
OF SUPERBALLS AND THE 1996
OLYMPICS.> PANCREATIC CANCER
IS THE THIRD LEADING CAUSE OF
CANCER DEATHS IN THE UNITED
STATES AND MORE THAN 50,000
AMERICANS ARE DIAGNOSED EVERY
YEAR.
THE FIVE-YEAR SURVIVAL RATE
IS JUST 9%.
NOVEMBER IS PANCREATIC
AWARENESS MONTH.
HERE TO TELL US MORE ABOUT THE
DISEASE IS A DOCTOR FOR MAYO
CLINIC AND SUNDAY, A FIVE YEAR
SURVIVOR.
THANK YOU BOTH FOR COMING.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY
BATTLING PANCREATIC CANCER.
IT WAS A HUGE SURPRISE.
I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD HAVE
CANCER.
NEVER THOUGHT OF PANCREATIC
CANCER, BUT I KNEW THAT
PANCREATIC CANCER WAS A BAD
CANCER TO BE INVOLVED WITH.
IF YOU ARE DIAGNOSED WITH IT.
I THINK MY JOURNEY IS THAT I
HAVE LEARNED THAT IT IS A
CANCER THAT HAS A VERY LOW HOPE
AND LIFETIME -- YOU CAN'T THINK
ABOUT IT AS BEING SOMETHING
THAT WE CAN GO IN AND TREAT
SUCCESSFULLY.
IT IS SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN
VERY DIFFICULT TO DIAGNOSE,
VERY DIFFICULT TO TREAT, AND WE
HAVE NOT REALLY SPENT ENOUGH
TIME AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED
WITH THE RESEARCH THAT NEEDS TO
BE DONE.
THE SURVIVAL RATE IS SO LOW.
BUT IT MAYO CLINIC YOU AND YOUR
TEAM DO RESEARCH AND ARE TRYING
TO CHANGE THAT.
WHAT ARE YOU FOCUSED ON?
I AM VERY NEW TO THE MAYO
CLINIC TEAM, BUT THE -- SOME OF
THE RESEARCH I DO IS FOCUSED
MOSTLY ON THE MUSCLE WASTING
THAT OCCURS DURING PANCREATIC
CANCER PROGRESSION.
A LOT OF TIMES, PATIENCE THAT
ARE CANDIDATES FOR SURGERY LOSE
A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WEIGHT
PRIOR TO THE TIME THEY GO INTO
IT AND SOME HAVE TO BE REMOVED
FROM THE ORIGINAL PLAN.
SO MY WORK IS REALLY LOOKING
INTO TRYING TO IMPROVE THE
WEIGHT LOSS DURING PANCREATIC
CANCER FOR PATIENTS TO RECEIVE
MORE CHEMOTHERAPY AND TO HAVE A
BETTER SURGICAL PROGNOSIS.
YOU MENTIONED THAT OFTEN
TIMES WHEN PEOPLE ARE
DIAGNOSED, IT IS AT AN ADVANCED
STAGE.
THERE IS NO EARLY DETECTION
TEST.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SYMPTOMS,
IF YOU COULD SHARE ANY?
I GUESS WITH MINE, I NOTICED
I WAS -- I DIDN'T HAVE THE
ENERGY THAT I HAD PRIOR TO THAT
JUST DOING WHAT I DID IN A
NORMAL DAY.
AND THAT I MENTIONED TO MY
DAUGHTER AND HUSBAND, DON'T YOU
THINK MY EYES LOOK A LITTLE
JAUNDICED?
AND THEY SAID NO NO.
BUT I CALLED MY CLINIC AND WENT
IN AND THAT IS WHEN THE
DIAGNOSIS WAS MADE.
IT WAS QUITE EARLY IN THE STAGE
OF PANCREATIC CANCER.
HOW EXACTLY DOES THE
PANCREATIC CANCER ACTION
NETWORK HELP?
I AM GOING TO JUST SAY THAT
FACEBOOK HAS BEEN HUGE, BECAUSE
PANCREATIC CANCER IS PROBABLY
USING THAT AS A SOCIAL MEDIA.
WHAT I AM FINDING AND HEARING
IS THAT PEOPLE ARE VERY ANGRY
THAT THIS IS BEEN AROUND FOR A
LONG TIME, AND THERE IS NOTHING
THAT SEEMS TO BE FIGURED OUT AS
TO HOW WE CAN TREAT IT THE BEST
WAY WE CAN FOR A LONGER LIFE
EXPECTANCY.
THEY ARE ADVOCACY IS
TREMENDOUS.
THAT WAS SOMETHING I NOTICED
WHEN WE WENT TO THE SCIENTIFIC
MEETING THIS PAST AUGUST.
BESIDES ADVOCACY, THEY FUND A
LOT OF BASIC RESEARCH AND ARE
GETTING INTO IMPROVING CLINICAL
TRIALS TO IMPROVE EARLY
DIAGNOSIS AS WELL AS THE
TREATMENT OF METASTATIC
DISEASE.
IF YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE
INFORMATION ABOUT PANCREATIC
CANCER, WE HAVE MORE
INFORMATION.
JUST GO TO OUR WEBSITE.
THANK YOU FOR COMING IN AND
TELLING YOUR STORY.
AND WELCOME TO MINNESOTA.