It is not uncommon that surgery for cancer of the pancreas is not appropriate, and following the multidisciplinary meeting, it may be recommended that you be treated with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy in the first instance.
Chemotherapy is the use of cytotoxic (anti-cancer) medicines to destroy cancer cells. It is an important treatment option for many types of cancer and clinical trials for chemotherapy are common.
Click on the link to see some of the chemotherapy drugs used to treat pancreatic cancer
You may have chemotherapy on its own or alongside other treatments such as radiotherapy or surgery. Usually you will be given chemotherapy by injection into a vein (intravenously). You may also be able to have certain types of chemotherapy by mouth (tablets). The blood then carries the medicines around the body to reach the cancer cells.
You can have chemotherapy as a day patient or as an in-patient. It depends on what is best for you and what type of chemotherapy you have. It is sometimes possible to have chemotherapy at home. Your oncologist will discuss with you how and where you will have your chemotherapy and any possible side-effects.
Click on the link for information on pancreatic cancer clinical trials currently open in the UK
Chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer can be given for several reasons:
Chemotherapy affects different people in different ways. You may be able to carry on as normal. However, if you have to go into hospital for your treatment, you will need to make changes to your usual routines.
If there is a special occasion that you would like to attend, or you want to go on holiday, it may be possible to arrange the timing of your treatment to suit. Your oncologist can tell you whether this is possible.
Many people feel tired a lot of the time during and after chemotherapy. If you are recovering from surgery or having radiotherapy as well as chemotherapy you may feel especially tired. If this happens to you, it can help to cut down on the things you don’t really need to do.
There is some evidence that exercise, of low to moderate intensity, may substantially help this tiredness. It is best not to over do it. Do as much as you think you can manage and make sure you get enough rest and sleep. It can help to cut down on the things you don’t really need to do.
You may find you are able to carry on doing everything as normal but if you work you may need some time off .
Click on the link for more information on the side effects of chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer
The doctor will consider several things when planning your treatment:
How often you have your treatment and how long it takes depends on the type of cancer you have, the drugs you are taking, how well the disease responds to treatment and any side effects you are having.
You may need several courses of chemotherapy. Your oncologist will discuss everything with you at the time.
You will need blood tests before every chemotherapy treatment. This is to check you are fit to have treatment. It may be possible for you to have the blood taken at your GP surgery, 2-3 days beforehand. This will save you waiting around at the hospital before your chemotherapy can start.
If you are unusually afraid of needles and are having difficulty having chemotherapy because of this, please mention it to someone in your specialist team who will work out a way of overcoming this.