Pancreatic Cancer Found During Surgery: Will Chemotherapy Help?
by Gail
(Denver, Colorado)
A couple of days after Christmas, 2012, my 8 1/2 year old miniature bull terrier started throwing up. We took her to the vet, and she was diagnosed with pancreatitis that caused hepatitis. An ultrasound showed that the bile duct was backed up and with her treatment was not getting better. We decided to have surgery to insert a stent in the bile duct. When the surgeon got in there, he said the pancreas was a mess and decided to re-route the gallbladder to the small intenstine (instead of the stent), thereby freeing up the bile duct for the liver and pancreas. He took a biopsy because he wasn't sure if it was pancreatitis or cancer. The results came back that it is cancer. He said that it has not spread to her liver, gallbladder, chest or lymph nodes. Does this mean that we were able to detect it early, and therefore treat it? He mentioned something called chemo light which might help her feel like a normal dog, but from what I've been reading, chemo doesn't really help. Would it help in her case, especially if this was caught early (which I'm hoping it was). We love this dog like you wouldn't believe, and want to keep her around as long as we can, but not at the cost of her comfort and pain.
Thanks. By the way, she is doing better after the surgery - her appetite is up and she's been going potty pretty regularly.
We're glad she's feeling better after surgery. It's encouraging that the surgeon found no spread to the liver, chest or lymph nodes, though pancreatic cancers often spread in ways that can't yet be seen, so it's hard to be sure it was caught early.
Evidence that chemotherapy helps dogs with pancreatic cancer is limited, so it's reasonable to be cautious. Lower-intensity chemotherapy is aimed at slowing the disease while keeping her comfortable. A veterinary oncologist can explain what the treatment involves, what it might add, and how you'd judge whether it is helping. Pain relief, anti-nausea medicine and appetite support can keep her comfortable whatever you decide.
See cancer in dogs.
This is general information, not a diagnosis. Please follow your own vet's advice.
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