When Pattie Wojtkiewicz started experiencing back pain in early 2017, she brushed it off as a muscle issue. But after persistent prodding from a close friend, Wojtkiewicz finally saw a physician assistant – a decision that would ultimately save her life.
A class act. A true professional. The nicest person you'd ever want to meet. Those are just a few of the ways people describe the voice of the Huskers, Greg Sharpe. Even in the face of a pancreatic cancer diagnosis, he's taken the time to share his thoughts on the care he's received.
Eleven years old, fighting cancer and dealing with unbearable pain, Neely Lucquete told her parents she was going to die. And all she wanted was her cat.
When cells are resistant to insulin, the pancreas (the organ that produces insulin) produces more and more to overcome that resistance. Over time, the pancreas begins to tire out. It’s no longer able to produce enough insulin to overcome the resistance.
There is no symptom which is specific to pancreatic cancer and many patients do not develop any symptoms of the disease. Pancreatic cancer can be found by chance on tests done for other reasons
Pancreatic cancer is a tough disease to beat, with only 11.5% of patients surviving more than five years. But Nebraska Medicine researchers are working hard to find new ways to boost survival.
When Kim Bate went to an appointment with his family physician in October 2018, he didn't consider the worst-case scenario. Bate had a rash, but nothing too extreme. Still, when Kim's doctor informed him that he believed Kim had an undiagnosed cancer and they'd need to run more tests, it wasn't a complete surprise.
A recent study showed rates of pancreatic cancer in women under age 55 rose 2.4% between 2001 and 2018. In May, E-News correspondent Maria Menounos, 44, revealed she was diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer earlier in the year, a high-profile case that seems to reflect the study’s disturbing trend.
Researchers and clinicians at Nebraska Medicine and its academic partner, University of Nebraska Medical Center, believe pancreatic cancer can be detected in its earliest stages. That belief is so strong that in 2018, the University of Nebraska Board of Regents approved establishing the Pancreatic Cancer Center of Excellence at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center.
The pancreas connects to the small intestine and is located in the upper abdomen. It drains digestive enzymes into the small intestine to break down carbohydrates, proteins and fats. It also produces hormones and releases them into the blood.
