My husband is suspected of having pancreatic cancer, but I am somewhat unsure of all the information we have been given. He has been quite ill lately, but the only overt symptoms are the presence of a 3-4 cm mass on his pancreas which is blocing the bile duct, resulting in elevated liver functions, rash and itching with jaundice. He feels fine every other way and has no pain or other issues. An ERCP with stent was done and labs are improving. The surgeon plans to proceed with a Whipple procedure as soon as his liver function is in the normal range, but I wonder if we should get a second opinion before proceeding. Please tell me what you think. Thank you, Charlotte Newsome
Please do not worry about second opinions. Your treatment so far and the plan ahead is all scientific and correct. Pancreatic cancer causes pain and other symptoms only in the late stages when it goes beyond the confines of any treatment. Luckily for you, your husbands' cancer got detected in time. At this stage it does not cause any pain. Also, the only curative treatment for this cancer is surgery (Whipple's). It is a major surgery but as I said there is no other option. If your husband is fit for this surgery then he should undergo it. It was deferred earlier due to the jaundice.