Life after treatment of pancreatic cancer

Treatment for pancreatic cancer is based on the stage of cancer, the age and overall health of the patient. The treatment is done by either or a combination of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery. If the cancer is advanced and if the doctors feel that any of the methods will not benefit or even improve the quality of life a cancer patient, they will offer and suggest palliative care. Some patients choose to be part of clinical trials and choose to be treated with targeted therapy, vaccines, immunotherapy or even chemotherapy drugs.

Managing side effects after treatment

Usually a team of specialized doctors who include surgical oncologists, radiation oncologists, medical oncologist, gastroenterologist, nurse’s psychologists, and rehabilitation specialists undertake treatment for pancreatic cancer. Social workers too will be involved wherever their services are required. This is particularly in the case of people recovering after treatment of pancreatic cancer. It has been found they feel more distress compared to patients recovering from other types of cancer. Loss of sleep, emotional upheavals and constant thoughts about the cancer are typical in a patient while they get better. They are also likely to face side effects of treatment like

  • Diarrhea or Constipation
  • Nausea or Vomiting
  • Loss of appetite
  • Change in the taste of food (food will taste metallic)
  • Hair Loss
  • Fatigue
  • Pain
  • Lowering of white blood, red blood cells, and platelet counts
  • Tingling in hands and feet
  • Rashes, redness, and irritation in skin

The team of doctors always alerts the patient, families, and caregivers about the side effects. They also advise the patients to visit them in case some symptoms are severe or if they see any new symptoms during recovery. Change in bowel movements can be managed with medication and appropriate diet. Loss of appetite and fatigue will improve as the overall health of the patient improves. Doctors will be prepared for the side effects and would have included medication as part of the prescription. Nutritionists and psychologists are an integral part of post-treatment care, and will help the patients cope with sleeplessness and emotional issues.

If there are any other symptoms apart from the ones specified by the doctors or nurses like blood clots in the veins, infection, persistent vomiting without improvement, the patient has to be taken to a doctor for immediate analysis and treatment.

Follow up appointments are scheduled in advance and patients and caregivers should ensure that no appointment is missed as tests will be done during these visits to check the progress made by the patient. There is a risk of second cancer particularly for pancreatic cancer, and missing appointments and thereby missing these tests are not such a good idea. Blood tests and CT scans will be repeated once in 3 months for a couple of years. After that doctors are likely to schedule two follow up appointments and tests annually.

Support groups, counseling, mild exercise and maintaining a positive outlook are some affirmative ways to help recovery post treatments. Meeting cancer survivors, learning and sharing from each other’s experiencing, participating in activities that help you relax can all help in recovering from stress.