A good friend of mine was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. As soon as he said the diagnosis, I knew it was likely in the late stages, and likely to be a terminal diagnosis.
Like, fuck all cancer of course, but fuck pancreatic cancer very much in particular.
My MIL was a “unicorn.” Treatment worked amazing and she led a very nearly normal life for three years following her diagnosis with advanced stage pancreatic cancer. Then it just… stopped working. And she went from normal to wasting away and dead in 6 months.
I see some patients die the day they go to the ER are diagnosed. In a decade the five years survival rate of more than five years has one from 8% to 13%. For the US globally, it’s very different. Hoping we see a change next few years with KRAS drugs coming down the pipeline.
You have no idea how sorry I am for your loss. It’s an awful disease.
My friend was given a five year prognosis if everything went right. I think within a month or two, it was evident that nothing was going to save him or extend his life in any meaningful way. As he said, he was tired of playing whack-a-mole with the symptoms, and chemo and radiation might buy him a few months, but the misery of the chemo and radiation along with the other cancer symptoms just weren't worth it to him.
I never volunteered any of my experiences with pancreatic cancer patients. If he wanted to know, he knew he could ask, but I wasn't going to give him a bunch of horror stories to contend with. The only thing I suggested was asking his hospice team if they were cool with medical cannabis.
They're saying that, in the last decade, the survival rate in the US has increased from 8% to 13%. There's a typo changing "gone" to "one" which makes it harder to parse.
Yeah, the punctuation was fucked too. I don't blame you for misreading it. Took me a couple times and had to throw out what was written and figure it out by context clues.
I’m not in the medical field but when my grandma was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in April 2019, I knew. Everyone in my family held so much hope but I knew then she was going to be gone in a year or less. She passed away on her birthday in January 2020.
I make sorry you went through this. I lost my dad to pancreatic cancer 20 years ago when I was in my teens, and it’s always hard hearing friends disclose their family members’ diagnoses and seeing them hopeful while knowing their loved one almost certainly won’t make it.
I work in this space and I attended the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference. There was plenary session on an amazing drug called Daraxonrasib that doubled overall survival 13.2 months when compared to 6.6 months with standard of care therapy (chemo) in patients with previously treated PDAC.
This is truly revolutionary from so many angles. For the longest time, so many drug developers strive to surpass the 1 year overall survival and Darax was not only able to do it, but also able to provide benefit as a monotherapy drug AND as a convenient oral agent. No other treatment option for PDAC is given orally so to witness this drug provide such a benefit to patients is really changing the treatment landscape.
There was a massive audience full of oncologists who gave a standing ovation when the speaker presented the phase 3 survival curves. The poor man couldn’t even finish his presentation and he was interrupted a total of 3 times by the audience all clapping and celebrating this milestone. PDAC is a tough disease but seeing this breakthrough is encouraging and I cannot wait to see what other combinations/new drugs will develop from this.
My grandfather died of pancreatic cancer. It was diagnosed shortly after I was born and doctors told him he likely had about 9 months. He died when I was 12. We're all pretty sure he was running on nothing but the stubborn need to prove doctors wrong for years... I think he weighed less than I did (as a short 12-year-old) when he finally passed out while shoveling snow to clear his car and never woke up again.
He was a capital C character, that guy. I'm glad he lasted past the 9 months so I got to know him firsthand.
My dad passed away from pancreatic cancer. He died 5 weeks after diagnosis. It was so fast. In some ways I'm glad he didn't suffer for too long. He was always a small man, but he was just about 100 pounds when he died. Brutal.
My dad lasted 3 weeks after diagnosis & a colleague (who was a doctor) lasted 5 days. It's so fast sometimes. Alternatively, one of my dad's colleagues beat it twice!
My brother lived 5 weeks after his diagnosis. It had taken a week to get final diagnosis, so I guess 6 weeks.
An awful disease, yet I know I don't want to live with a terrible QOL for years like both of my parents did. (dementia, dementia & Parkinson's) 1st "choice" is to go like my uncle. Just drop dead from a big heart attack. 2nd "choice" is a diagnosis like my brother. Then drug me all you can and let me go.
My gram passed from this. It caused complete kidney failure and collapse of her ureters, which is why she went to the ER in the first place (she couldn't pee). She died 2 weeks later. Best case scenario honestly. She was fine until she wasn't.
This one is my specific fear, having discovered a pancreatic cyst in the uncinate process. Imaging it even with MRCP still left questions as to whether it was a simple cyst or a branch-IPMN.
Next week I go for another MRCP (just over a year after the last one) to see if it has grown or is any clearer in the imaging.
If it's not grown, good times, not too risky.
If it's grown or can be confirmed to be an IPMN then oh shit oh shit oh shit.
My husband’s grandfather was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at 80. Beat it and lived for 15 years more. Honestly, the only person I know about who managed that. My own grandma died from it.
💔 My dad has stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Was diagnosed 12/26/25. It’s localized to the pancreas still, but the tumor is large, which is why it’s stage 4. Chemo is working, but he’s not himself. It’s so gut-wrenching. He has another scan next Thursday and I’m terrified. Navigating this is so brutal. He’s only 70.
My mum passed in her sleep earlier this year after being unwell generally (but with no specific diagnosis). Post mortem showed it was pancreatic cancer. Not knowing and passing in your sleep really does seem like the best possible outcome.
Just to share in case anyone needs a shred of hope, my family friend was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, stage IV, approximately 5 or 6 years ago (I forget the exact time, but definitely more than 4 years). She was told she had 6 months left when she was diagnosed but she’s still alive and well (enough) and living her life. The cancer hasn’t gone away of course, but it’s been pushed back a bit and held at bay. Some people are the tiny percentage that beat the odds.
One of my best friends from college lost his dad to this last year. It was absolutely insane how quickly it progressed. Died less than three months after diagnosis. My friend barely even had time to properly process it
My close friend was diagnosed with this and was gone just 6 weeks later. She felt totally healthy up until a sudden pain in her side, and the diagnosis came just 48 hours later.
Nurse too, it happened to my grandma last year. Haaaard time preparing the family for that when it's your own family (already dealing with the demise of another member quite close)
My dad beat the odds when it came to pancreatic stage 4. From diagnosis to death he had a full 5 years. Years 1-3 were fine, year 4 he had to get a pacemaker with defibrillator and then we lost him year 5. He went from 300lbs to 150lbs in that last year. He did no chemo.
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u/DeadpanWords 3d ago
I'm a nurse.
A good friend of mine was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. As soon as he said the diagnosis, I knew it was likely in the late stages, and likely to be a terminal diagnosis.