The doctors were not optimistic – according to their forecasts, Matthew had only a year left to live. However, a “miracle” combination of drugs saved the man. It’s been 3 years since his diagnosis, and the American is still walking this earth.
Suspicions were reinforced by itching
When Matthew was 25, he was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. This digestive system disorder causes inflammation of the colon.
So, the man was used to the symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders. However, a few days after the unusual visit to the toilet, he began to suffer from persistent itching. The palms of my hands and the bottoms of my feet were itchy, which Matthew described as the worst symptom.
“I’ve never felt anything like this before, and these places are difficult to scratch,” said the man.
“After an all-night itch, I’d put my hands and feet in a hot bath to make them go away,” he added.
When he went to the hospital’s emergency room, Matthew heard that he had high levels of bilirubin, a byproduct of broken down red blood cells that affects the color of his stool.
High levels may indicate a blockage in the bile duct, the tube-like structure that connects the liver to the small intestine.
An ultrasound examination showed a narrowing of the bile duct. Doctors tried to fix the problem by using a stent.
The doctors’ explanations reassured Matthew: “There was no sense of urgency… They didn’t think it was anything threatening.”
A few months later, doctors removed the stent, but the symptoms returned. The gastroenterologist admitted that he could not explain Matthew’s symptoms, but assured him that he did not have cancer.
“If you have cancer, I’m rolling in my grave,” the doctor told the man.
Ironically, a scan a few hours later revealed a tumor in a part of the abdomen called the ampulla of Vater, the small opening where the pancreatic and bile ducts meet.
The diagnosis was unforgiving: stage four pancreatic cancer.
The disease is called the “silent killer” because patients rarely experience symptoms until the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Then it is almost impossible to cure it successfully.
About 80 percent in some cases, the disease is diagnosed at a late stage, when the probability of surviving longer than 5 years is only 3%.
Doctors had to change plans
The most common symptoms of pancreatic cancer are: stomach pain, loss of appetite, weight loss, jaundice, dark urine, light-colored stools, fatigue and itching.
In the US alone, 64,000 cases of pancreatic cancer and more than 50,000 deaths were diagnosed last year.
Most patients are over 65 years of age, and only 1.9 percent is Matthew’s age.
The problem is that pancreatic cancer is difficult to diagnose.
“The pancreas is deep in the body. Early symptoms are very subtle, can go unnoticed, and can be mistaken for many other conditions.
When you feel the symptoms of the disease, the cancer has already metastasized to other organs. I don’t want to say it’s too late, but that’s the experience of a lot of people,” said Matthew himself.
After the cancer diagnosis, he is scheduled to undergo a procedure to remove the head of the pancreas, part of the small intestine, part of the bile duct, the gallbladder and the surrounding lymph nodes.
However, the surgeon who started the operation saw that the cancer had spread to other organs, so the doctors had to abandon this plan.
Instead, Matthew was prescribed a six-month course of high-dose chemotherapy. The man suffered nerve damage and became so weak that he could not stand up from a chair on his own.
But the worst part was that the drugs failed to shrink the tumor.
“Then I didn’t think that my case would be special or a miracle. I thought it was the end, Matthew admitted.
“I thought I was going to die soon”
Doctors discovered that Matthew had a mutation in the BRCA2 gene, which is linked to several cancers, including breast and pancreatic cancer. This led doctors to believe that personalized therapy could help.
The patient was prescribed a combination of the chemotherapy drugs gemcitabine, nab-paclitaxel and cisplatin (GAP).
The treatment worked. “My quality of life improved a lot,” Matthew recalled. After 3 months, the first tests showed that the disease is receding.
“My hair hasn’t fallen out and I’ve managed to maintain a normal body weight,” said Matthew.
“I thought I was going to die soon, so I tried to have a lot of fun,” he added.
Until 2022 in March, the doctors found that there were no cancer metastases left. So, the surgeons performed the operation to remove the tumor that they had originally planned.
The man feels good, but realizes that the statistics are not on his side.
“The five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is extremely low,” the man emphasized.
Nevertheless, by sharing his story, Matthew is spreading the message that pancreatic cancer is not a death sentence and hopes that his personal experience will give courage to other patients.
“Drink, eat a burger and live as long as you can. That’s exactly how I lived. Take your health seriously, but don’t forget to face reality,” Matthew advised.
Based on information from the Daily Mail.
