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Steve Jobs very notably had the 'good' kind of pancreatic cancer which has a very high success rate from treatment. There are two types of cells in the pancrea

Steve Jobs very notably had the 'good' kind of pancreatic cancer which has a very high success rate from treatment. There are two types of cells in the pancreas, exocrine cells and endocrine cells. 1. Exocrine cells - 95% of pancreatic cancer are in the exocrine cells which produce the enzymes that are responsible for food digestion, and 95% of exocrine cancers are adenocarcinomas which impact the cell lining of the pancreatic duct. This is the bad one, with a survival rate below 10% 5 years after diagnosis. 2. Endocrine cells - The other 5% of pancreatic cancers impact endocrine cells which produce enzymes to regulate your blood sugar. Jobs' cancer was reportedly a Glucagonoma which was overproducing glucagon leading to very high blood sugars. These are extremely rare cancers but broadly, with early surgery the 5-year survival rate is above 85%. The 10 year survival rate is above 65%. That's why there was so much criticism for Jobs' delayed treatment. His tumor was first diagnosed in 2003 and he basically ignored it for a year in favor of alternative treatments and healthy eating. By the time he actually had surgery, the cancer had progressed to mets in his lymphs and his liver.

scurvy 9y ago
And while squamous cells don't normally exist in the pancreas, you can get squamous cell carcinomas in the pancreas (which is particularly vicious and faster spreading than even adenocarinomas -- but is exceedingly rare).
SwellJoe 9y ago
"His tumor was first diagnosed in 2003 and he basically ignored it for a year in favor of alternative treatments and healthy eating. By the time he actually had surgery, the cancer had progressed to mets in his lymphs and his liver." And, to make it clear just how ridiculous his decision was, among the alternative treatments he used included coffee enemas. There's literally no reason at all to believe coffee enemas can cure cancer, but that's what he was doing while his cancer was spreading. Everyone should be able to make their own treatment decisions, of course. But, my dad was killed by the distinctly not good kind of pancreatic cancer, and I feel a little entitled to be pissed off at folks who squander the incredible fortune of having a treatable case and ignoring every bit of relevant science in favor of the advice of quacks.

scurvy 9y ago

And while squamous cells don't normally exist in the pancreas, you can get squamous cell carcinomas in the pancreas (which is particularly vicious and faster spreading than even adenocarinomas -- but is exceedingly rare).

SwellJoe 9y ago

"His tumor was first diagnosed in 2003 and he basically ignored it for a year in favor of alternative treatments and healthy eating. By the time he actually had surgery, the cancer had progressed to mets in his lymphs and his liver." And, to make it clear just how ridiculous his decision was, among the alternative treatments he used included coffee enemas. There's literally no reason at all to believe coffee enemas can cure cancer, but that's what he was doing while his cancer was spreading. Everyone should be able to make their own treatment decisions, of course. But, my dad was killed by the distinctly not good kind of pancreatic cancer, and I feel a little entitled to be pissed off at folks who squander the incredible fortune of having a treatable case and ignoring every bit of relevant science in favor of the advice of quacks.