Even if pancreatic cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, oncologists say the average survival time is 20 months.
New Delhi: Two senior BJP leaders are reportedly suffering from the same deadly disease at the same time — Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar and union parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar. While Parrikar is admitted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi, Kumar is believed to be undergoing treatment in London.
The government and the party have not revealed any information about the condition of the two leaders, but it is reported that both are afflicted by pancreatic cancer, which oncologists call the “worst cancer” of them all.
“Pancreatic cancer is not easy to detect. The symptoms are often subtle. More often than not, you catch it at a later stage,” Dr Sameer Kaul, senior oncologist at Apollo Hospitals told ThePrint.
Unlike most other types of cancers, survival rate in pancreatic cancer is “very low”, Kaul said.
Dr Abhishek Shankar, assistant professor at the department of preventive oncology, AIIMS, agreed. “It is the worst type of cancer anyone can have,” he said.
“If it is diagnosed at an early stage — a receptacle local tumor — then the survival is 20 months. If it has locally advanced, then the expected survival is 10 months. If it has reached the metastasis level, then survival is only about five months.”
Why it’s difficult to diagnose
Diagnosis is often delayed and pancreatic cancer is found only when it has hit a later stage.
“The abdomen is a large area, so if anything starts enlarging, unlike the brain, it takes time for symptoms to appear. For example, abdomen pain cannot lead to a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer directly. Only when it spreads to areas like the liver do the symptoms start showing up,” said Shankar.
The most common symptoms of this cancer are jaundice, weight loss, nausea, vomiting and back pain. “The pain can get so bad that you find people doubled over,” said Kaul.
It also spreads faster than many other types of cancers, which makes it difficult for doctors to control it.
Main types and treatment
Doctors say pancreatic cancer is of many kinds, but two of them are most common: Adenocarcinoma (exocrine) and neuroendocrine cancer.
“The most common type is adenocarcinoma. It arises from the glandular cells and usually blocks the ducts. It can start from the head of the pancreas, and sometimes the body or tail, and spread to the bile duct and the pancreatic duct,” said Kaul.
“It can sometimes infiltrate over the duodenum and obstruct the passage of food.”
If not diagnosed early, adenocarcinoma can spread to major vessels like the superior mesenteric artery and portal vein — a major drainage vein conveying blood to liver from stomach, pancreas, spleen and intestines.
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“If it infiltrates to these areas of the body, it becomes inoperable. Locally, it further spreads to the stomach, colon, lymph nodes around the aorta and travels in the blood stream,” Kaul said.
He added that if adenocarcinoma is found at an early stage, the first method of treatment is an operation called “whipple”, in which the head of the pancreas, the first part of the small intestine (duodenum), the gallbladder and the bile duct are removed.
The second line of treatment varies from targeted therapy and radiation therapy to chemotherapy.
Neuroendocrine — greater hope of survival
Neuroendocrine cancer can occur in any of the endocrine (hormone-producing) glands, of which pancreas is one. A person can survive longer if afflicted by this disease than adenocarcinoma.
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs suffered from this type of cancer.
The treatment for this type of cancer is chosen after identifying the speed of growth, Kaul said.
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If it is a slow-growing cancer, targeted therapy in the form of oral tablets or chemotherapy is given.
Asked if there was any difference between the treatments available in India and abroad, Kaul said they were along the same lines.
“The guidelines laid out by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (an alliance of cancer centres in the US) are followed in India as well as abroad. The treatment is available in India too,” he said.
Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan is also undergoing cancer treatment in the US.
Whatever it may be. May Allah help them to overcome their health problem.
Can editorial team shut up the two abusive comments and ensure allowance of only sane comments
This is KALUYUG. NO ONE ESCAPES PAYING FOR THEIR MURDEROUS SINS.
Ah yes, Sonia is next in line