It May Be 2 Years Since Aretha Franklin Died of Pancreatic Cancer But Her Star Still Shines Bright; Being Inducted In National Women’s Hall of Fame

Aretha Franklin needs no introduction for most; the musical icon is the voice and brains behind hits like Respect, Think, You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman, and many, many more. In 1987 the legendary performer became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and over her career, she won 18 Grammy awards. A movie about Franklin’s life debuts next year, with Jennifer Hudson starring as the singer.

Aretha’s Pancreatic Cancer

The pancreas is an organ in the belly, and that’s where the cancer forms for pancreatic cancer. Franklin was diagnosed with this type of cancer in 2010. In December of that year she had surgery to remove her pNETs, pancreatic neuroendoncrine tumors, a type of pancreatic cancer. She passed away from the disease eight years later, in August 2018. Franklin was 76 when died at her home in Detroit.

Related: Steve Jobs Died Nearly 10 Years Ago From Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors (pNETs); Treatment Advances Since Have Been Significant

Franklin largely keps her pancreatic cancer battle private, so we’re unsure of her specific treatment plan. Pancreatic cancer is typically treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Surgical removal of the pancreas may be an option for some if the cancer hasn’t become too advanced.

Challenges to Screening for Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic Cancer Detection

One of the main challenges with pancreatic cancer is detecting it. Unlike breast cancer or prostate cancer, there aren’t specific screening tests (like a mammogram or PSA test) to look for this type of cancer. Pancreatic cancer usually presents in the form of symptoms like jaundice (a yellowing of the skin), unexplained weight loss, digestive issues, or back pain.

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Dr. Anirban Maitra, Co-Leader of the Pancreatic Cancer Moon Shot at MD Anderson Cancer Center, told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview, “Because the pancreas is inside the abdomen, it often doesn’t have symptoms that would tell you that something is wrong with your pancreas. By the time individuals walk into the clinic with symptoms like jaundice, weight loss, back pain, or diabetes, it’s often very late in the stage of the disease. Each year in the United States, about 53,000 patients get pancreatic cancer.”

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Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive disease that often progresses quickly. Dr. Maitra told us,”Unfortunately, most will die from this disease within a few months to a year or so from the diagnosis. And the reason for that is that most individuals, about 80%, will actually present with what we called advanced disease, which means that the cancer has either spread beyond the pancreas or into other organs like the liver, and so you cannot take it out with surgeries. Only about 20% of individuals will actually be candidates for surgery.”

Detecting Pancreatic Cancer Early Is Crucial

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