My Required Reading List is a list of sources that you can explore deeper to gain some insight on the symptoms of pancreatic cancer, the research treatments out there, ways you can help, and stories about people fighting the disease. By reading over this list and exploring some of the sources, you can find the answers to questions you may have about the disease and hopefully learn something new.
1. Brune, Kieran, Bryan Lau, Emily Palmisano, Marcia Canto, and Michael Goggins. "Importance of Age of Onset in Pancreatic Cancer Kindreds." Journal of National Cancer Institute 102.2 (2010): 119-126. Web. 2 Feb 2011
The authors of this article conducted research in order to find out if individuals with a family history of pancreatic cancer are at an increased risk for developing it. It discusses young-onset cancer among familial pancreatic cancer (FPC) kindred members. They performed competing risk survival analyses to examine the risk of pancreatic cancer and risk of death from other causes according to youngest age of onset of pancreatic cancer in the family and the number of affected relatives. Researchers found that individuals with a family history of pancreatic cancer are at a significantly higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Having a member of the family with a young-onset (>50) pancreatic cancer presents an added risk in FPC kindreds.
2. Varmus, Harold. "National Cancer Institute." U.S. National Institutes of Health. National Institutes of Health, 2010. Web. 2 Feb 2011.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) website is a great tool. It has everything one would need to know about pancreatic cancer. Treatment, dictionary of cancer terms, NCI drug dictionary, clinical trials, preventions, genetics, causes, screening and testing, cancer literature, research, and statistics. The accuracy of these things should be quite good because it is a government website. This site will help me not only in my writing of different projects throughout the semester, but also with terms and statistics that I may not have been aware of before. There is also a booklet linked from their site that can be read online to learn about pancreatic cancer symptoms, diagnosis and treatment, as well as questions to ask the doctor if you are facing the disease.
3. Roth, Mark. "New Vaccine May Help Treat Pancreatic Cancer." Post Gazette 27 Jul 2009. Web. 2 Feb 2011
Roth’s article came in two parts. This is the second, and the part that I found the most important for research. The article talks about a treatment that was new in 2009, as well as a man named Rev. Clifford Stollings, from Uniontown, PA. Stollings is a SIX year pancreatic cancer survivor. He received the vaccine aimed at a protein that pancreatic tumors overproduce. The article also discusses the National Cancer Institute’s raised distribution for pancreatic cancer by $14 million in 2009, Stand Up To Cancer’s largest single grant being given to pancreatic cancer research, and Dr. Randy Pausch and his last lecture. This article combines research and stories in a way that is both informative and inspirational.
This article discusses the 2nd Annual Pancreatic Cancer Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. Patients, survivors and caregivers from across the United States came together to urge Congress to support the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network’s national plan to advance pancreatic cancer research. The organization seeks $170 million in federal funding for research and outlines a strategic plan to identify early detection methods in hope of finding a cure. Pancreatic cancer is currently one of the least funded among leading cancer killers with less than 2% of the NCI’s annual budget allocated to pancreatic cancer research. The chairman of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network talks in the article about the promise held in pancreatic cancer, but that without funding, the ideas cannot be pursued.
5. Klein, Dr. Alison. "National Familial Pancreas Tumor Registry." Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center. Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2011. Web. 16 Feb 2011. <http://pathology.jhu.edu/pc/nfptr/index.php>.
6. "Lustgarten Foundation." Pancreatic Cancer Research. N.p., 2011. Web. 16 Feb 2011. <http://www.lustgarten.org/Page.aspx?pid=587>.
5. Klein, Dr. Alison. "National Familial Pancreas Tumor Registry." Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center. Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2011. Web. 16 Feb 2011. <http://pathology.jhu.edu/pc/nfptr/index.php>.
The National Familial Pancreas Tumor Registry (NFPTR) is a research study aimed at identifying the causes of pancreatic cancer. Families who have been affected be the disease are able to join this organization and send in a questionnaire with their family cancer history. By doing so, the NFPTR can use this unique opportunity to study the cause of pancreatic cancer. Their research may ultimately help devise ways to find pancreatic tumors earlier and develop better treatments.
6. "Lustgarten Foundation." Pancreatic Cancer Research. N.p., 2011. Web. 16 Feb 2011. <http://www.lustgarten.org/Page.aspx?pid=587>.
The Lustgarten Foundation entails getting informed, getting involved, and learning about research information. On their website, you can identify pancreatic cancer resources, find events to participate in as well as learn about funding opportunities. This site can be helpful because it is a way that those who are closely affected by the disease can research and participate in events to make a difference.
7. curePC. CSC Holdings Inc., 2011. Web. 16 Feb 2011. <http://curepc.org/>.
CurePC is a public awareness campaign in support of the Lustgarten Foundation. Cablevision supports this campaign and sends 100% of donations made to the foundation directly to research. Watching these PSAs can help to solidify the sense of urgency for this issue as those affected tell their story and ask for your help in fighting against this disease. This site is also useful because the 100% is something that catches my attention and I’m sure catches others attention too. Knowing your entire donation goes directly to research is a way to solidify support.
8. Dugdale III, David. "Pancreatic Carcinoma." PubMed Health. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2011. Web. 16 Feb 2011. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001283>.
This website is composed by the National Library of Medicine. You can find figures showing the digestive system, pancreatic cancer CT scan, as well as other descriptive images. This site can be useful because it also talks about signs of the disease, tests, treatments, expectations, as well as having a presentation of a bilary obstruction, which is something I have not come across before. The figures can be helpful because some things are easier to understand and follow along with if they have an image to look at as well.
9. Titlebaum, Joseph. "National Pancreas Foundation." National Pancreas Foundation, 2011. Web. 30 Mar 2011. <http://pancreasfoundation.org/>.
The National Pancreas Foundation covers not only pancreatic cancer, but also pancreatitis and kid’s pancreatic diseases. I still chose to include it because of it variety of relevant information towards my topic. The website talks about what the pancreas does, about genetics and the DNA abnormalities being looked into as a cause of pancreatic cancer, and about risks and symptoms while exploring deeper into stages and causes. The website also talks about medical therapies and alternative therapies such as acupuncture, laughter, meditation, and massage. These alternative therapies are something I haven’t read about before in regards to pancreatic cancer, so they were definitely an interesting addition. There are also articles that you can read about events, new treatments being worked on, and awards and honors that doctors are receiving. There is also a link to support groups for both patients and caregivers and a link to find doctors enrolled in the organization near you. The links are nice because if you or a loved one is dealing with the disease, you can find a doctor in your state to talk to or go to for a medical opinion.
10. "Treating Pancreatic Cancer by Stage." American Cancer Society. American Cancer Society, 2011. Web. 30 Mar 2011. <http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/PancreaticCancer/DetailedGuide/pancreatic-cancer-treating-by-stage>.
This page on the cancer.org website is devoted to the treatment at different stages of pancreatic cancer. This website is important because it tells you the options for treatment. It talks about exocrine pancreatic cancer that is resectable, locally advanced as well as metastic (widespread). It also talks about pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer and the surgeries available for this type depending on how advanced the cancer is and what the options are for it. I like the approach this website takes because it’s really informative about the seriousness of the surgeries and the size of the tumors. It’s quite educational, but it is also written in a way that I can understand with no science background. Of course there are a few words that I need to Google, but that is typical when reading a scientific article.
11. Fox, Maggie. "Genes Map Study Finds Clues to Pancreatic Cancer." Medline Plus 20 JAN 2011: n. pag. Web. 30 Mar 2011. <http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_107938.html>.
This article talks about new genes that have been identified that cause a relatively less harmful type of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor when mutated a certain way. Although neuroendocrine tumors account for only 5 percent of pancreatic cancer cases, it is still important to be educated on this type as well. This article discusses Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple, who has this rare type of pancreatic cancer and has been receiving treatment for his less severe type since 2004. The article talks about the patients with tumors with mutations in genes MEN-1, DAXX and ATRX that have lived at least ten years after learning about their tumors. This has taught researchers that it may be more useful to classify cancer by genes than by organ or cell type.
12. Randall, Tom. "Pfizer Drug Slows Pancreatic Tumors in New Attack on Cancer." Bloomberg Businessweek 24 MAR 2011: n. pag. Web. 30 Mar 2011. <http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-03-24/pfizer-drug-slows-pancreatic-tumors-in-new-attack-on-cancer.html>.
This news article was an interesting one to me because it is a level of progress in the field of pancreatic cancer, even though it is only a small level of progress. The Pfizer Drug was shown to slow deadly pancreatic cancer in a study that revealed a new treatment approach that tricks the immune system to attack tissue protecting tumors. The article is very informative and goes on to explain the way the drug is paired with chemotherapy and the progression of the disease when the medicine was given. Although the company still needs larger successful tests before they attempt to get the drug approved, it’s a step in the right direction. It’s important to hear stories like this and see that small bits of progress are being made.
13. Auer, Holly. "Penn Researchers Uncover Novel Immune Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer." Penn Medicine (2011): n. pag. Web. 18 Apr 2011. <http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/03/pancreatic-cancer-immunotherapy/>.
This article talked about the immune system and the way that doctors are training it to act against cancer cells in the body. Researchers are learning a lot about the way the immune system works against cancer cells that they never before realized. By finding out more information about the white blood cells and how they are fighting against the cancer, researchers can figure out what changes to make to treatments in order to better prepare the body to fight. This article went into a lot of detail about the white blood cells and tried to explain all the scientific terms the best they could. It was a very informational article with analogies to make the transition from scientific terms to laments terms easier.
14. Freeman, Liz. "With boost from Southwest Florida, possible cancer treatment advances." NaplesNews. N.p., 18 APR 2011. Web. 18 Apr 2011. <http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2011/apr/18/john-kanzius-foundation-cancer-sanibel/>.
This article talks about John Kanzius’ cancer treatment. It is a non-invasive radiofrequency cancer treatment. Currently, this treatment is being tested in animals, but the Kanzius Cancer Research Foundation is looking to build a larger radiofrequency unit and apply to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for permission to start research with humans. Pancreatic and liver cancers will be the initial focus because of the lack of treatment available for these types. This could be a huge step for pancreatic cancer and this article is very informational about the benefits of the treatment, as well as the next steps to be taken by the Kanzius Foundation.
15. "Pancreatic cancer jab to help patients recover?." Barchester (2011): n. pag. Web. 18 Apr 2011. <http://www.barchester.com/Healthcare-News/Pancreatic-cancer-jab-to-help-patients-recover%3F/376/4332>.
This article talks about a vaccine being developed in the United Kingdom to train the immune system to attack cancer cells. This is currently being trialed on patients in UK hospitals. It is being coordinated by Royal Liverpool University Hospital. This trial could make a real difference in the way clinicians behave and patients are treated. Although this is a short article, it is still important to the development of pancreatic cancer treatments. Every little bit is a step in the right direction for a cure.
16. Mahoney, Diane. "Early Results Promising for Robotic Pancreatic Resection ." Internal Medicine News (2011): n. pag. Web. 18 Apr 2011. <http://www.internalmedicinenews.com/news/gastroenterology/single-article/early-results-promising-for-robotic-pancreatic-resection/ee5d555b09.html>.
This article discusses a new kind of approach to pancreatic cancer surgery. In San Antonio, results are looking promising for robotic pancreatic resection. By using robotic assisted technology, robotic hepatobiliary-pancreatic (HPB) surgery is a reasonable and feasible approach for the management of pancreatic cancer. Because surgery is such a rare possibility for pancreatic cancer patients, this study is very important. Researchers hope to lessen the fear of surgery and also to heighten the possibility of surgery by making tedious procedures more possible using their robotic technology.
