According to a story from abc7.com, two surgeons were part of a crowd of thousands that participated in the Los Angeles Cancer Challenge, which took place at UCLA on Sunday, October 21st, 2018. The foot race is a massive fundraising event for cancer advocacy and research. The two surgeons in question are Dr. Mark Girgis and Dr. Jonathan King, and they have received recognition for their innovations in using robotic surgery to treat pancreatic cancer.
About Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most notorious and dangerous forms of cancer. It is very difficult to treat. Part of the reason it is dangerous because pancreatic cancer rarely causes symptoms until it has reached an advanced stage. By the time it is discovered, it has often already begun to metastasize, or spread to other parts of the body. Risk factors for this disease include old age, being male, being African-American, family history, certain genetic disorders, obesity, smoking, diabetes, chronic pancreatitis, and a diet high red meat, processed meat, or meat cooked at high temperatures. Symptoms include diabetes, upper abdominal pain, jaundice, constipation, weight loss, and appetite loss. Treatment includes surgery, chemo, and radiation, but five year survival rates are very low at just five percent. Click here to learn more about pancreatic cancer.
Rob’s Story
Rob Bloch was 71 years old when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer; jaundice was his only symptom. When Rob heard the news, he immediately accepted the fact that his death was essentially inevitable, and it was going to happen sooner than he would have liked.
But that was before he met Dr. Girgis and Dr. King. Surgery is a common treatment approach for pancreatic cancer with a goal of removing the tumor. In a small number of cases, this can be curative. However, the surgeons performed the surgery with the help of a robotic computer, which can allow for greater precision and steadiness than is possible with a human hand.
That was 11 months ago. Since then, Rob has undergone chemotherapy and at this juncture there is no sign that his cancer will return.
Rob’s story should be a cause for hope to all pancreatic cancer patients. While this diagnosis can be scary, it doesn’t have to be a death sentence.
