Surviving the 'Silent Disease'
- “Star Trek” actress Kitty Swink, 69, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer 20 years ago after experiencing back pain, weight loss, and jaundice. She underwent treatment, which included surgery, and beat the odds of a “4% survival.”
- Pancreatic cancer is a type of cancer that forms in the pancreas. It can be challenging to treat because symptoms usually don’t present themselves until the cancer has spread or metastasized. Symptoms may include unexplained weight loss, back pain, jaundice, and pain in the abdomen.
- According to research published in the World Journal of Clinical Cases, pancreatic cancer “has the lowest 5-year survival rate” largely because of a lack of serological markers for screening, aggressive local invasion, the tendency to spread, resistance to chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, and late diagnosis.
Actress Kitty Swink, 69, famed for her role in the “Star Trek” franchise, defies the odds as a pancreatic cancer survivor. Swink’s journey is nothing short of remarkable, having surpassed the 20-year milestone since her diagnosis.
Pancreatic cancer’s higher mortality rate, due to challenges in early detection, makes her case even more remarkable.
“By the time I got to the emergency room, I was turning yellow with jaundice,” she said.
A biopsy and a CT scan helped doctors confirm the culprit: pancreatic cancer.
Pancreatic cancer begins in the pancreas and is known as the “silent disease.”
Symptoms of the disease rarely show up until it has advanced and metastasized (spread) to other parts of the body.
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Swink says she underwent surgery for treatment.
“I came out of Cedars-Sinai with half of my stomach, half of my pancreas, my gallbladder gone, two feet of my intestines removed out, 28 lymph nodes removed, and a 4-percent chance of surviving five years,” Swink explained.
According to research published in the World Journal of Clinical Cases, pancreatic cancer “has the lowest 5-year survival rate” mainly because of a lack of serological markers for screening, aggressive local invasion, the tendency to spread, resistance to chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, and late diagnosis.
Despite her slim chances, Swink developed a determined and positive attitude toward her diagnosis.
Helping Patients with Pancreatic Cancer Resources
“I’m going to live. I don’t know why I thought I was going to live, but I thought, ‘I have things to do,’” Swink recalled thinking.
True to her word, Swink did just that, having reached remission and now, two decades later, being considered “cancer-free.” She now spends some of her time promoting pancreatic cancer awareness for PanCan.
Pancreatic Cancer and its Ability to Go Unnoticed
As we’ve noted, pancreatic cancer usually does not present noticeable symptoms until the cancer has already metastasized (spread) to other parts of the body.
Although pancreatic cancer survival rates have been improving, it’s still considered to be largely incurable. An exception to this is if the tumor is still small enough and localized enough to be operated on.
WATCH: Why Pancreatic Cancer is Hard to Treat
While pancreatic cancer may not present symptoms early on, it’s still crucial to be aware of signs of the disease. The National Cancer Institute identifies the following symptoms:
- Dark urine
- Pain in the abdomen
- Unexplained weight loss
- Light-colored stools
- Loss of appetite and fatigue
Treatment options for pancreatic cancer may include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy.
Immunotherapy Offers Hope for Pancreatic Cancer Patients
Immunotherapy is the process of activating a patient’s immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells. These treatment options could be advantageous for patients who catch pancreatic cancer in its early stages.
A study funded by the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy combined two immunotherapy drugs with chemotherapy and found that some patients experienced either a shrinking of tumors or a slowing of their progression.
“Until now, immunotherapy hasn’t had a big role,” Dr. Allyson Ocean, Medical Oncologist at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian, told SurvivorNet. “Now this study combines two immunotherapy drugs with frontline standard chemotherapy, and we’re seeing response rates significantly better than what was published with other chemotherapies alone.”
Researchers Jai Hoon, Ye-Ji Jung, and Sung-Hoon Moon studied immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer. They said despite the hope immunotherapy offers for various cancer types, it is not currently the standard of care for pancreatic cancer.
“Only anti-PD-1 antibodies have been approved by the United States FDA for patients with pancreatic cancer who have tested positive for microsatellite instability. Combination therapies with other immunotherapeutic agents, targeted therapies, stroma-modulating agents, chemotherapy, or multi-way combination therapies may provide treatment opportunities for patients with pancreatic cancer,” the researchers said.
Immunotherapy does not work for all patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Still, the advances presented in this study and others over the past few years give those facing this disease much hope.
Questions to Ask Your Doctor
If you are facing a pancreatic cancer diagnosis, you may have questions but are unsure how to get the answers you need. SurvivorNet suggests asking your doctor the following to kickstart your journey to more solid answers.
- What type of pancreatic cancer do I have?
- Has my cancer spread beyond my pancreas? If so, where has it spread, and what is the stage of the disease?
- What is my prognosis?
- What are my treatment options?
- What side effects should I expect after undergoing treatment?
- Will insurance cover my recommended treatment?
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