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Pancreatic mass

vixlouj
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Hi. 
My mum has been told she has 3 pancreatic mass’ and one GI doctor said it’s pancreatic cancer as her blood tests showed markers. She was in hospital for 2 weeks as she has obstructive jaundice due t the mass in the head of her pancreas. Her MDT was due to happen last Monday but we found out on Tuesday that it had been cancelled due to no oncologist being available, she is now at home with no in rmation, pain relief or any firm understanding of what’s happening to her. Her discharge letter says more than she’s ever been told. The words metastatic are on her discharge letter. It also states at they are unsure as to whether it is primary pancreatic or other primary. I’m assuming this all means that the cancer has spread? I’ve read that metastatic pancreatic cancer can mean only having a hort life expectancy. Her MDT is now due to happen this Monday and she will be seen in clinic in 2 weeks. Is this all normal or should she have been told more? Sorry for the long post

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    Hello vixlouj,

    I am so sorry to hear about your mum and that she had to spend two weeks in hospital with obstructive jaundice. The words metastatic on the discharge letter seem indeed to imply that the cancer has spread and it looks like they are unsure what the primary cancer might be. You can read more about metastatic cancer on this page and our website also contains useful information on how cancer can spread. If you would like to talk to one of our nurses about this, you can ring them on this free number 0808 800 4040 - their helpline is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and they will be happy to answer any questions you might have about metastatic pancreatic cancer. I hope the MDT tomorrow will shed some light on what is going on and that you get a bit more clarity on this very soon. It's good she has an appointment in clinic in two weeks and it will also be an opportunity to ask questions so perhaps you could think of questions to ask at the appointment and write them down in case you forget them. 

    I hope that you will hear from other members of our community who have been in a similar situation before and that they will be along shortly to share their experience with you .We're thinking of you and your mum during this difficult time and hope that you get some answers on Monday. Keep us updated if you get a chance on what you find out after the MDT meeting.

    Best wishes, 

    Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator

  • Offline in reply to Moderator Lucie

    So it’s been 10 months since my mum passed away. We never did get anymore information until the end. I cared for her as best I could but she deteriorated so rapidly that she never did make her MDT review, she collapsed in the waiting room and died 2 weeks later. I can’t believe it’s 11 months since I wrote my original post and now 10 months since mum died. I miss her so much. The trauma of watching her suffer is so hard to let go of. I can’t move forward. I’ve had to give up work just so I can grieve. I’m trying to be the best mum I can to my toddler while my world falls apart. If I didn’t have my children, I would be with my mum now. I hate it here without her. I really hope that pancreatic cancer patients get better care in the future, it’s a cruel way to die and without help/support or even pain relief makes it so much worse for them. 

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