Alan Rickman's Pancreatic Cancer Battle
- Late actor Alan Rickman battled prostate cancer and died of pancreatic cancer back in 2016 at just 69 years old.
- Pancreatic cancer is hard to catch before it progresses because the disease may not present symptoms early, symptoms may appear like other health conditions, and the pancreas is behind other organs in the body, according to the National Cancer Institute.
- Developments in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer have given men more options than before.
- Targeted therapy can precisely identify and attack certain types of cancer cells with fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapy.
- PARP inhibitors are a specific type of targeted therapy that have shown promise in treating late-stage prostate cancer.
- Androgen deprivation therapy is one type of hormone therapy that works by inhibiting androgen (sex hormone) production, including testosterone, or blocking androgen receptors, which can slow down tumor growth.
Now, let’s remember Rickman, a prolific actor also known for the “Harry Potter” franchise who not only bravely battled pancreatic cancer but faced prostate cancer as well.
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Expert Prostate Cancer Resources
As per the report, the film’s executive producer is Mark Johnson through his Gran Via Productions, but a concept or writer has not been decided on yet. Representatives for Paramount+ and Paramount TV Studios have also not spoken out about this new series.
So while we’re unsure who will be in this Paramount series, it’s exciting to see the project may be finally moving forward.
“Galaxy Quest” director Dean Parisot previously told Inverse that Rickman’s death made it difficult to ever do a remake.
He told the news outlet, “We almost did it, but Alan passed away in the middle of it. And it still comes up every couple of months. I don’t know. Maybe. We better figure out how to do it without Alan.”
Following Rickman’s death, actor Tim Allen told The Hollywood Reporter that his passing was “a big shock on many levels.”
Alan Rickman's Cancer Battles
Before Alan Rickman discovered he had pancreatic cancer, the actor was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer in 2005 and got his prostate removed one year later.
Then, in August 2015, following a stroke, Rickman was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, a disease that is not often caught until its reached later stages, when more aggressive treatment is needed.
Dr. Anirban Maitra On Why Detecting Pancreatic Cancer Early Is Critical
Pancreatic cancer is so difficult to catch early for a few reasons, according to the National Cancer Institute:
- People may not experience noticeable symptoms when the disease is in its early stages, leading to it being diagnosed when it has progressed.
- Symptoms may present like those of other health conditions, such as abdomen pain, feeling tired, change in stool, and weight loss.
- “The pancreas is hidden behind other organs such as the stomach, small intestine, liver, gallbladder, spleen, and bile ducts.”
Meanwhile, treatment may be difficult because of the stroma, tissue that surrounds the pancreatic cancer cells and acts as a barrier to chemotherapy and radiation reaching the cancer.
“Think of pancreatic cancer as an oatmeal raisin cookie and the raisins are actually the cancer cells, and the cookie part is actually all the stroma around it,” Dr. Allyson Ocean, a medical oncologist at Weill Cornell Medical Center, told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview.
“And imagine having to navigate through all that stroma for a treatment to be able to get into a cell to kill it. So that's why the treatments just really aren't good enough to penetrate the cancer. But we're improving, we're getting better treatments.”
Dr. Allyson Ocean On Why Pancreatic Cancer Is So Hard To Treat
Advancements in Treating Prostate Cancer
There has been significant progress in the world of prostate cancer treatments following the death of Alan Rickman.
Dr. Patrick Swift, a radiation oncologist and Clinical Professor of Radiation Oncology at Stanford, previously told SurvivorNet, “The first thing I tell patients is there is no rush to make a decision. There is time to gather the information.”
It's important to do your research and ensure the treatment being recommended for you is appropriate for your specific case. Luckily, thanks to advancements in treatment, patients with prostate cancer have more options than ever before, especially those with stage 4 prostate cancer.
Knowing Whether Or Not To Treat Prostate Cancer Isn't An Easy Decision, Says Dr. Geoffrey Sonn
One area being explored for prostate cancer treatment is targeted therapy. In general, targeted therapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses drugs or other substances to precisely identify and attack certain types of cancer cells with fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapy.
PARP inhibitors are a specific type of targeted therapy that have shown promise in treating late-stage prostate cancer. These drugs work by stopping the activity of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase a protein involved in DNA repair.
This makes damaged DNA in cancer cells unable to repair itself, which then leads to the death of these cancer cells.
The two PARP inhibitors currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) include:
- Lynparza (molecular name olaparib)
- Rubraca (molecular name rucaparib)
Dr. Stephen Freedland of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center called Lynparza "an important drug with life-prolonging properties."
He added that the drug benefits “patients by providing a new option that delays progression and prolongs life in a subset of patients.”
“More importantly, for the many men with mCRPC, more active drugs means more hope that it can delay progression and prolong life, allowing them to live longer and better and continue to hope for even more breakthroughs in the future,” Dr. Freedland told SurvivorNet.
How to Treat Late-Stage Prostate Cancer: New Treatment Developments
Another recent development for late-stage prostate cancer treatment arrived with the FDA approval for a radiopharmaceutical called Pluvicto (lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan) in March 2022.
This targeted therapy was approved to treat patients with prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-positive mCRPC and showed significant improvement in overall survival for patients that had until then very limited treatment options.
Pluvicto is a medication that combines diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities. (These medications are often called "theranostics".) These agents can identify the presence of a target (PSMA) on a patient's cancer cells and then treat it directly, minimizing exposure to normal tissues.
The approval was lauded as a major win for precision medicine that will expand the possibilities for men with severe disease.
“The approval of lutetium is a major step in the development of personalized treatment for advanced prostate cancer," Dr. David Penson, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told SurvivorNet in a previous interview.
Another expanding realm of late-stage prostate cancer treatment comes in the form of hormone therapy.
Androgen deprivation therapy is one type of hormone therapy that works by inhibiting androgen (sex hormone) production, including testosterone, or blocking androgen receptors, which can slow down tumor growth.
These therapies are effective because prostate cancer feeds off testosterone, one type of androgen.
"The traditional standard of care for metastatic prostate cancer is androgen deprivation therapy, or hormone therapy," explains Dr. Jeff Tosoian, a urologic oncologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Two newer types of androgen deprivation therapies for metastatic prostate cancer include:
- Xtandi (enzalutamide), a once-daily oral pill.
- Erleada (apalutamide), a once-daily oral pill.
Do Your Own Research on Prostate Cancer Treatment
Other treatment options for late-stage prostate cancer include but are not limited to:
- chemotherapy
- radiation therapy
- immunotherapy
- treatment given in clinical trials
- Additionally, bone-targeting medicine like Xgeva (denosumab) may be used to prevent bone loss and fractures in those whose cancer has already spread to the bone.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with late-stage prostate cancer, talk with your doctor about all available options. And don't be afraid to seek out multiple opinions.
Questions to Ask Your Doctor
- Here are some questions you may consider asking your doctor:
- What kind of prostate cancer do I have?
- Is my prostate cancer castration-resistant?
- What treatment options are available based on my type of prostate cancer?
- Are there any side effects associated with that treatment?
- What outcome to you expect with this treatment?
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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