Six months. It goes by in the blink of an eye. But, within that short time, a pancreatic tumor can quickly go from operable to inoperable.
Unfortunately, the disease is often asymptomatic and isn’t detected until the very late stages.
“Pancreatic cancer is a really insidious, dangerous disease,” Dr. Rachel Beard, a specialist in pancreatic surgery with Brown Surgical Associates’ Surgical Oncology Division, told Channel 10’s Barbara Morse.
Beard said only about 15% to 20% of patients with a new pancreatic cancer diagnosis will be able to undergo surgery. But now, a connection found between pancreatic cancer and certain breast cancer genes is helping improve early detection rates for people like Brown Surgical Associates’ patient Claire Rich.
Rich tested BRCA-positive in 2016 after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Researchers have found those with the BRCA 1, BRCA 2, and BRCA3 genes are also at an increased risk for pancreatic cancer. Because of this risk, Rich’s breast care team suggested she get screened and referred her to University Gastroenterology’s Dr. Pranith Perera for an endoscopic ultrasound – which is a relatively new screening test for pancreatic cancer.
During the procedure, Dr. Perera not only detected a tumor in the middle of Rich’s pancreas, but he also biopsied it.
Dr. Beard said pathology revealed Rich had a very early-stage tumor. The cancer was fortunately operable, but if detected just five or six months later, it wouldn’t have been.
