Pancreatic Cancer Notes #3

Brody, Jane E. "PANCREATIC CANCER: CIGARETTE SMOKING IS STRONGEST LINK TO DEADLY DISEASE." New York Times 25 Mar. 1986. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 27 Sept. 2010

• Second most deadly cancer known

• Cigarette smoking; most suspected reason for pancreatic cancer

•  "a new study of 490 patients in Los Angeles County revealed that smoking a pack or more a day was associated with a fivefold to sixfold increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer"

• Coffee drinkers may also be at risk for pancreatic cancer

• ''But at this point, all we can tell people about preventing pancreatic cancer is to quit smoking, which they've got plenty of other reasons to do anyway,'' Dr. Mack said in an interview.

• Average patient lives 3 months after diagnosed

• 10 - 15 percent live the first year

• Less then 1 percent live after the first 5 years

• "The increase has occurred more among women than men, more in blacks than whites and more in the elderly than the young"

• 25,500 will be diagnoised this year and 24,000 will die from it

• Sometimes people don’t even know they have this cancer because it takes so long to form and it gives off very few signs as it is forming

• Can spread to surrounding tissues

• For evey 6 patients only 1 can even get surgery most are either too old, too sick or there disease is too far advanced.

• Radiation therapy sometimes doesn’t even work because it is too hard to get  a good amount to the cancer cells without damaging normal tissues

• Chemotherapy doesn’t necessarly work either.

• Dr. Glatstein put it: ''Right now we're all grasping for straws. This is a tumor against which we've not made one single improvement in the last 30 to 40 years.''

Pancreatic Cancer Notes #2

•  pancreas is a gland near the stomach and spine

• Pancreas produces insulin which helps the amount on sugar in your blood

• Diabetes is another thing that increases you chance of pancreatic cancer

• If anyone in your family had this cancer then you might too.

• There are many ways to diagnose pancreatic cancer like, biopsy, lab tests,

And ultrasound.

• "pancreatic cancer can be cured only when it is found at an  early stage, before it has spread."

• There are many different types of surgery that can try to remove the cancer from the pancreas.

• "Whipple procedure:  If the tumor is in the head (the widest part) of the  pancreas, the surgeon removes the head of the pancreas and part of the small intestine, bile duct, and stomach. The surgeon may also remove other nearby tissues."

•  Radiation therapy is also used. Uses high-energy rays to kill the cancer cells.

• If pancreases or part of it is removed then it will make it hard to digest food.

• May develop diabetes after the pancreases is removed.

Pancreatic cancer cell

Pancreatic Cancer Notes

Pancreatic cancer." World of Health. Gale, 2007. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 16 Sept. 2010.

Pancreatic Cancer

• Disease with cancerous cells in the tissue of pancreas
• 17,150 males and 16,580 females will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2006.
• Exact cause of pancreatic cancer is not known. But things like diets  that have a lot of red meats are a possible casue.
• Jaundice- a yellowish discoloration of the whites of the eyes and skin
• The way to cure pancreatic cancer is surgery, radiation therapy or chemotherapy

• Very fatal disease, 95% of people will die from this cancer
• No early symptoms
• Smoking is another thing that might cause this
• The American cancer says that you should eat a lot fruits, vegetables and dietary fiber.
• "The most definitive test for pancreatic cancer is a biopsy, in which a sample of the tumor is removed and examined microscopically."
• "Pancreatic cancer is a disease in which cancerous cells are found within the tissues of the pancreas"

Questions on Pancreatic Cancer

1. Is it possible for teens to get pancreatic cancer?
2. How many people have died from this cancer in 2009?
3. Do more males or femals get this cancer?

Pancreatic Cancer

Erin H.

Mrs.Zurkowski

Purples- honors

9/13/10

Book: Going for the Record

Topic: Pancreatic cancer

Search Terms:

1.      Cancer

2.      Pancreas

3.      Results of smoking

4.       Results of obesity

5.      “deaths from pancreatic cancer”

6.      “Gastrointestinal cancers”

7.      “Results of excessive alcohol intake”

 A main issue in Going for the Record, by Julie A. Swanson, is pancreatic cancer. By the end of 2010 it is estimated that 43,140 will be diagnosed with this cancer. 36,800 of those people will die from pancreatic cancer in a matter of 3-6 months from when they are diagnosed. There are many causes of pancreatic cancer. Some causes are smoking, obesity, age (usually over 60), diets high of red meat, diets low of fruits and vegetable, and diets high in sugar-sweetened drinks. One way to have pancreatic cancer treated is surgery, but it depends on the stage of the cancer. Some ways you can prevent pancreatic cancer is to keep a healthy weight, have a stable diet of fruits, vegetable and whole grains, and taking vitamin D.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancreatic_cancer)

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://bodymindspiritintegration.com

Pancreas

Pen Pal Letter for Going for the Record

703 Churchville Road


Bel Air MD, 21024

September 3, 2010



Dear Leah,



My name is Erin H. and I really liked reading about your story in Going for the Record by Julie A. Swanson. I am in 9th grade at John Carroll and I love to play sports, just like you. I live in Forest Hill Maryland. My summer has been fun and exciting, and I hope yours was too. My basketball team went to Orlando to compete in a National YBOA tournament. I also went to Florida, North Carolina, and Deep Creek Lake with my friend Alex and her family.



I really liked reading Going for the Record, actually my friend had read it before and she said it was a really good book, so when I saw it on the list I was very excited. I really liked it when you thought you wouldn’t be able to play soccer anymore, because of your dad, you still tried to play because you love it. When you father was in his bed and you stayed with him the entire time, I thought that was very brave of you because I don’t think I would be able to stand to see my father like that and not cry all the time.

I think that Julia A. Swanson writes very realistically and it is full of details “Tweet! They play a quick touch forward and boot it long. It ricochets between several players before settling at a blue defenders feet. We’re in possession.” You can actually see the soccer game in your head. I also really like the way Swanson puts the dates in the beginning of the chapters and throughout the book. These dates helped me realize how much happened in a short amount of time.

Why did you get so mad at Clay when he asked if you had talked to any college coaches? Then when he wrote you that letter you got even angrier when he signed it “Love, Clay”. Was it that you were so upset about your dad you had to let it out somehow? But in the end I was very happy when you forgave him.

This story definitely made me really think about the issue of cancer. It’s amazing what cancer can do to a family, it can bring them closer together or it can tear them apart. One thing for sure is that cancer is a very frightening thing to go through. In our society today with all of the new technology and medical advances, we still don’t have a cure for all cancers, which is very surprising. Sometimes the inventors and doctors just need funding to get there cures tested to see if they work. So a good thing to do is to raise money for cancer. You could do a lot of things like a yard sale, ask a restaurant to give you some of their money from one day, or even just go around asking for money to support a certain type of cancer.

I hope that you are on a soccer team again and that everything is ok between you and Cay. Also I hope that your family isn’t taking you fathers passing to hard. I know how you felt during this difficult time when your dad had cancer. My mom had breast cancer but she fought through it and is now a 1 year survivor. So I know that you will be strong for your father and make something good out of this horrible tragedy.



Sincerely,





Erin H

Going for the Record

I read Going for the Record, by Julie A. Swanson. These are some questions that might help you with the book:

1. The main character is seventeen-year-old Leah Weiczynkowsk. She is very athletic, she cares greatly about her family and

2. In the beginning, Leah is on her way home from soccer when her father tells her that he has pancreatic cancer, which means he only has 3 months to live. Leah is invited to train for soccer in Colorado Springs by the middle of the story, but has to leave the excellent opportunity early to go home to be with her father who is getting sicker and weaker every day. By the end Leah’s older sister, Mary who was pregnant, has her baby, which is what they think Leah’s dad has been wait for, so he passes away 2 days later.

3. The author is trying to say that horrible things may come along in life but don’t let that one horrible thing effect you for the rest of your life and keep you from doing things you love.

4. One of the issues is cancer patients and treatments. This affects Leah because her father decides that he does not want any more treatments to help his cancer and Leah can’t understand why he doesn’t want to live even for a couple extra days. Another thing that affects her is that her father is a cancer patient, and he used to always take Leah to her soccer games so then she felt like she couldn’t play soccer because it reminded her so much of her father. And finally the thing that affects Leah the most is just the fact that her father has cancer and they are basically watching him die, so that puts her whole family in semi-depression and makes them not function.

5. One real and important event in this story is when her father is diagnosed with cancer and the other event is Leah’s decision to continue playing soccer or not. The author makes these issues immediate and personal because the cancer patient is her father who she is very close to and cares about him very much. For the choice to play soccer or not was changed because of her father’s illness and she felt like she should be home with her dying father instead of playing soccer.

Erin's Unique Profile

My name is Erin H. I am in 9th grade at John Carroll. I love to play sport, I play soccer and basketball. I have played soccer since I was 6 and basketball since I was 8. Basketball is my favorite sport. I play on an AAU team, Maryland Elite, that travels to places like Virginia and Pennsylvania to play in tournaments during the spring. This past summer we went to a national tournament in Orlando. I have an older brother, Alex, who goes to Calvert Hall. Since my brother is allergic to basically any animal that has fur, all we have are fish, but I really want a dog. I love listening to music on my i-pod. I listen to almost all kinds of music. I also love swimming and going to the beach, it’s my favorite thing to do in the summer.