Outpouring of Support Amid Pancreatic Cancer
- Popular soccer manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, 75, known for managing the “England” team, revealed he’s battling advanced pancreatic cancer after collapsing while running due to a stroke. Tests helped doctors discover his cancer.
- Immunotherapy is the process of activating a patient’s own immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells. This is a treatment option for pancreatic cancer patients, although its effectiveness increases if the cancer is caught in its early stages.
- Pancreatic cancer is a type of cancer that forms in the pancreas. It is more challenging to treat because symptoms usually don’t present themselves until the cancer has spread or metastasized. Symptoms may include weight gain, back pain, and jaundice.
- According to research published in the World Journal of Clinical Cases, pancreatic cancer “has the lowest 5-year survival rate” largely because of lack of serological markers for screening, aggressive local invasion, the tendency to spread, resistance to chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, and late diagnosis.
Popular soccer manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, 75, shocked many longtime fans when he shared he is battling advanced pancreatic cancer. In a matter of hours, he’s received an outpouring of support in what appears to be a very sudden diagnosis. However, pancreatic cancer is often discovered in its later stages due to its unsuspecting symptoms after it’s had time to spread to other parts of the body, making it more challenging to treat.
Eriksson revealed his diagnosis on a local Swedish radio show earlier this week and noted the cancer was “inoperable,” according to CNN. Inoperable cancer means doctors cannot surgically remove the cancer due to its advanced state. However, treatment options may still exist to help slow down the cancer’s progression.
Read MoreSven-Goran Eriksson has “best case a year” to live after a cancer diagnosis.
“When you get a message like that, you appreciate every day.” pic.twitter.com/DwjeK5Go5N
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) January 11, 2024
He added that he is not in any pain. Meanwhile, many people, including fellow English soccer manager Wayne Rooney, supported Eriksson as he continues his cancer journey. Rooney posted to his 17 million social media followers, “Thoughts are with Sven Goran-Eriksson and his family. A brilliant coach and a special person. Loved and respected by everyone. We’re all with you, Sven; keep fighting.”
Goran responded to the outpouring of support with immense gratitude.
Helping Patients with Pancreatic Cancer Resources
Pancreatic Cancer and Its Ability to Go Unnoticed
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.
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
RELATED: Immunotherapy Offers Hope for Pancreatic Cancer Patients
The National Cancer Institute identifies pancreatic cancer symptoms to include:
- 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
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.
Immunotherapy is the process of activating a patient’s own immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells. These treatment options could be advantageous for patients who manage to 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 some patients experienced either a shrinking of tumors or a slowing of the progression of tumors.
“Until now, immunotherapy hasn’t had a big role,” Dr. Allyson Ocean, Medical Oncologist at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-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 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,” Hoon, Jung, and Moon said.
Immunotherapy does not work for all patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Still, the advances presented in this study and others throughout 2019 give those facing this disease much hope.
Questions for 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?
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.