PANCREATIC CANCER PROGNOSIS & SURVIVAL

The prognosis of pancreatic cancer (adenocarcinoma of the pancreas) is a very tough, though the survival rates have been incrementally improving particularly over the past ten to fifteen years. It is important to realize that each person is individual; each cancer is different. Statistics can only indicate what tends to happen in the aggregate, and not in the case of an individual person.

The median survival duration from the time of diagnosis until demise is arguably the worst of any of the cancers – certainly of the major cancers. The median survival for untreated advanced pancreatic cancer is about 3 1/2 months; with good treatment this increases to about about threefold, though many will live much longer. We have encountered  eleven and twelve  year survivors.

Perhaps it is a good place to discuss what the term median means. Simply put, the median is the time point that separates half of patients who live longer from the half who will live less. Thus, there are many patients who will live much longer than the median.

Patients with neuroendocrine tumors tend to have a much more favorable prognosis than, for example, those with adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. The natural history of neuroendocrine tumors, islet cell tumors, and carcinoid tumors tends to be very different than that of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. For example, the median survival duration from the time of diagnosis for patients with non-functioning metastatic islet cell tumors may approach up to five years.