Pancreatic cancer receiving attention in lay media
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I've been hearing more about pancreas cancer lately in the lay media — which is definitely a good thing. To begin with, Patrick Swayze has been dealing with his cancer in a refreshingly public way — no hiding the details, no apologies for his choices, and answering to no one (His Barbara Walters special is here and an amazing, spot-on op-ed piece, written by Swayze and published in the Washington Post is here). From what we can gather, he has stage IV disease with some disease in his liver but despite this has done remarkably well to my eye. He mentioned in the Barbara Walters special that he recently switched to second-line therapy because of what sounds like progressive disease, but I don't know exactly what regimen he is on.
Also recently diagnosed was U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg with what sounds like pancreas adenocarcinoma. Sounds like she underwent some version of a potentially curative surgery and her tumor was detected on her annual screening CT scan done after her prior diagnosis of colon cancer in 1999 (A side note: My first thought when I saw in the news that she was getting an annual scan 10 years after her colon cancer was diagnosed was, "come again?" I must have missed that recommendation in the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force guidelines). She wants to be back at work by the end of the month, and I certainly hope she makes that goal.
I am hoping that these high-profile patients raise the funding and research for this incredibly effective cancer killer.