Sylvia Sparks: Pancreatic Cancer Survivor Takes Proactive Approach to Reach 'Cancer-Free Mark'
In 2005, a red flag went up when Sylvia Sparks, now 83, suddenly dropped 10 pounds and lost her desire to eat.
She was referred by community gastroenterologist Ahmad Attar, MD, to the UC Health Pancreatic Disease Center for diagnostic testing. Syed Ahmad, MD, diagnosed the source of her problem: early stage pancreatic cancer.
Sparks’ first thought was ominous: “I thought I was going to die,” she recalls. “Now I can say I’m a survivor.”
In October 2010, Sparks was declared cancer free, reaching the important five-year cancer survival benchmark.
According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), only 22.5 percent with localized pancreatic cancer survive to see this benchmark. An estimated 43,140 men and women will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2010, and about 36,800 men and women will die of the disease, according to NCI. It is the fourth-leading causes of death in the United States.
The pancreas, a thin organ that lies behind the stomach and in front of the spine, helps the body digest food and produces hormones, such as insulin, that help control the body’s blood sugar levels. About 95 percent of pancreatic cancers develop in the cells that produce digestive juices responsible for breaking down food.
The pancreas is an organ tucked deep in the abdomen. It is difficult to screen because pancreatic tumors cannot easily be felt or seen. If diagnosed early, however, the cancerous portion of the pancreas can be surgically removed and rerouted. Unfortunately, most cases are diagnosed in advanced stages.
Sparks had several risk factors that put her at a higher risk for pancreatic cancer: She is type I diabetic and a former smoker. Research has shown that smokers are up to three times more likely to develop pancreatic cancer than nonsmokers. Diabetes may also confer a slightly higher risk of pancreas cancer.
Fortunately, Sparks’ cancer was found early. Ahmad performed an operation—know as a “Whipple procedure” and named after the surgeon who perfected it—to remove her cancer in June 2005. The surgery involves removing the head of the pancreas, the gallbladder, part of the stomach, part of the small intestine, and the bile duct are removed. Enough of the pancreas is left to produce digestive juices and insulin. The procedure typically takes upward of seven hours to complete.
Now she enjoys taking daily walks and playing word cross puzzles, and spending time with family – including her children, Michael, Kimberly, and Terry; grandchildren Monica, Erica and Wayne and great grandchildren Eric, Mason and Cameron.
Ahmad and his fellow UC Health surgical oncologists are the most experienced team in the Greater Cincinnati region, performing approximately 30 to50 of these complex procedures annually. They also specialize in innovative techniques such as laparoscopic pancreatectomies.