Our interview process for our Service Learning Project has been deemed a little bit more difficult than we expected. After several emails and phone calls to prospective candidates for the interview, we finally received a response from a Pancreatic Cancer survivor. Our interview isn’t for a few more weeks, so we thought we would leave some brief information about Pancreatic Cancer.
Pancreatic cancer is relatively rare but deadly; most patients die within a year of diagnosis, and it is the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the US. At least 10% of pancreatic cancers is thought to be caused by inherited genetic mutations.
Pancreatic Cancer: A disease in which malignant cells are found in the tissues of the pancreas. Also called exocrine cancer.
It is estimated for 2008, that out of 37, 700 new cases of pancreatic cancer patients, over 34,000 of them will die. In up to 95% of cases, pancreatic cancer arises from the exocrine portion of the organ. The least common exocrine cancer comes from acinar cells. Most of the exocrine tumors are from ductal cells those of which line the pancreatic ducts. These tumors are classified as carcinomas, a word that refers to tumors arising from a lining cell.
Treatment:
Pancreatic cancer can be cured only when it is found at an early stage, before it has spread. Surgery for cancer of the pancreas is only offered to patients whose tumor is localized. Only about 15-20% of those individuals with pancreatic cancer will be found to be eligible for surgery. In these cases, surgical removal of the tumor from the pancreas gives the best chance for a cure and generally confers a better overall prognosis in contrast to medical therapy. However, other treatments may be able to control the disease and help patients live a little bit longer and feel better. When a cure or control of the disease is not possible, some patients and their doctors choose palliative therapy. Palliative therapy aspires to improve quality of life by controlling pain and other problems caused by this disease.
References:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pancreatic-cancer/DS00357
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp?level=0
http://www.pancreatica.org/
http://www.oncolink.com/types/article.cfm?c=4&s=7&ss=49&id=1739
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/pancreaticcancer.html
http://www.pancan.org/
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1X_What_is_pancreatic_cancer_34.asp
1 comment:
Okay, I have posted two papers (the second of which will be more applicable for Ayok's Honors option) and questions pertaining to them on WebCT under "Service Learning". Your next two posts will include your interview, and answers to these questions.
Dr. Walker
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