Ductal Cancer of the Pancreas

QUESTION: After a brutal illness, my brother-in-law just died of pancreas
cancer. They called it ductal cancer. What does it mean? Do you think there
was anything that could have been done to save him? The family would
appreciate help in finding answers to their questions.
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ANSWER: When a loved one passes on, the families often search for answers to
questions that, in fact, have no answers. I'll provide some information that
I hope will help. Ductal cancer of the pancreas means that it arose from
cells in the pancreas that carry the secretions rather than cells that make
the secretions. Such tumors are the most common, and about 80 percent occur
in the head of the pancreas, and can cause jaundice by blocking the flow of
bile. Ductal adenocarcinoma is twice as common in men than women, and appears
most frequently between 50 and 60 years of age. It is a silent cancer, and by
the time symptoms are noticed, it has progressed to the point where surgery is
difficult if not impossible. The most common symptom is weight loss and
severe abdominal pain, but these develop late. Routine laboratory tests are
often normal, but ultrasound and CT (computer tomography) techniques may
locate a tumor. However, confirmation would require a biopsy of the tissue,
which can be obtained by guiding a needle to the tumor through the skin.
Treatment with drugs (chemotherapy) is disappointing, neither conquering
the disease nor prolonging life. However, if the cancer has already spread, a
combination of drugs and radiation are used to offer some assistance and
relief. From the material you included with your letter, it would appear that
all that could be done was done to help.