This called for symptom-relief surgery. Derek's surgeon created a bypass around the blockage, enabling him to digest his food and return to more normal eating habits. Along with improved surgical options, more effective chemotherapy drugs have also been developed and promising newer ones are being tested by clinical researchers across the nation at facilities such as the Cancer Center of Pennsylvania Hospital, a member of the University of Pennsylvania Cancer Network. One of the most recent trials is designed to test 9NC, and Pennsylvania Hospital is the only facility in the Delaware Valley using this new drug. It's possible that it may be more effective than current agents.
Patients say they experience less pain, more energy and greater appetite.
We are comparing it to gemicitabine, an intravenous drug that is currently the standard. While the clinical data has not yet proven that one drug is more effective than the other, both drugs have improved the condition and quality of life of some patients. Derek has tried both. I like taking a pill rather than an intravenous drug. Other advancements include higher quality, far less invasive imaging techniques that allow physicians to look at specific sites, determine vascular involvement more precisely, and detect nearly invisible malignancies.