Today is World Pancreatic Cancer Day

HARTFORD, Conn. (WFSB) – Today is World Pancreatic Cancer Day.

The day is used as a call to action to get screened early for the rare cancer.

If you have a family history, you’ll want to start that screening as early as age 40.

There are also new advances in treatment that are helping patients recover faster and stay cancer-free longer.

Doctors say it’s a game-changer for people living with it.

Scans picked up a golf ball-sized tumor on Mark Infranco’s pancreas.

“Almost like disbelief that this happened. I’m a guy, never been sick a day in my life. Healthy. I don’t smoke. I don’t drink. I work out. Thankfully, didn’t spread and lymph nodes were clean,” said Infranco.

The Whipple procedure removes part of the pancreas, intestine, and gallbladder. It is the standard plan of action for pancreatic cancer, but Infranco was a candidate for a more minimally invasive approach.

“The advances in robotic surgery have been paramount and allows us to do very complex operations that before required very large incisions,” said Dr. Aaron Sasson, Stony Brook Pancreatic Cancer Center.

Robotically assisted surgery is a new option. While the risks of the operation are the same, Dr. Aaron Sasson says patients can experience less pain, scarring, and few complications and infections.

“Within two, three weeks, I was up and around,” said Infranco.

Pancreatic cancer is rare. There are fewer than 200,000 US cases a year and survival rates are not as optimistic. Only one percent survive pancreatic cancer for 3 years or more after diagnosis.

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