Springer's death, Menounos' survival put a spotlight on pancreatic cancer
Friends, fans and even some loved ones of Jerry Springer were surprised late last month by his death from stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
According to published reports, the 79-year-old Emmy-winning, former shock-TV host had kept his terminal diagnosis hidden from nearly everyone in his life, save for only family and a few trusted confidants.
Springer’s family told TMZ that he wanted to keep his condition secret so as not to burden those who would take the news hard.
Jene Galvin, who had known Springer for more than 50 years, released a statement on behalf of the family that said it was only in the last couple of months that Springer had learned how sick he was. It was unclear exactly when he received his diagnosis — but a stage 4 diagnosis means the disease had spread beyond the pancreas.
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Pancreatic cancer: Another star — and a better outcome
Just days after the news of Springer’s death, longtime entertainment reporter Maria Menounos revealed that earlier this year she had survived a stage 2 pancreatic cancer diagnosis.
Her January diagnosis came after the 44-year-old mother-to-be (via surrogate) had suffered from a variety of symptoms.
She explained that last summer she began suffering from severe leg cramps. "I'd scream out loud; I was inconsolable," she recalled.
After visiting a hospital, she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes — meaning her pancreas was no longer performing the function of producing insulin.
By fall, she was feeling good, taking insulin daily and wearing a glucose monitor.
“I was crushing it,” she said.
But then came a bout with more symptoms: “Excruciating abdominal pain coupled with diarrhea."
She underwent a CT scan and other extensive testing, but doctors couldn’t find the source of her symptoms.
"They said, 'Everything's fine.' But I kept having pains, like someone was tearing my insides out," she said.
Desperate to get to the bottom of her symptoms, she underwent a full body scan, and that’s when she learned the devastating news: that she had a 3.9-centimeter mass on her pancreas.
The tumor was deemed to be stage 2 and still confined to the pancreas. Menounos’ form of pancreatic cancer — a neuroendocrine tumor — is a rare form of the disease (less than 10% of cases) and considered more survivable because it’s less aggressive than the more common exocrine tumors that most patients are diagnosed with.
In February, she underwent surgery to remove the tumor along with part of her pancreas, her spleen, a large fibroid and 17 lymph nodes.
Despite the surgical pain and slow recovery, Menounos believes that “God granted me a miracle” and she shared her story in hopes of encouraging others to advocate for themselves.
“You have to be the CEO of your health,” she said on "Today." “You know your body, you know what's going on."
A primer on pancreatic cancer
The pancreas is a small organ located in the abdomen near the stomach, gallbladder, liver and small bowel. It’s involved in both digestion and producing hormones.
There are two forms of digestive cells in the pancreas — exocrine and endocrine — that can become cancerous.
More than 90% of pancreatic cancers are in the exocrine cells — and this form of the disease is usually the more aggressive and potentially deadly form of the disease.
Unlike in Menounos’ case, the overwhelming number of pancreatic cancer patients never experience any early-stage symptoms.
This is one of the reasons why pancreatic cancer is notoriously difficult to diagnose. In addition, there are no validated, specific screening tests that can easily and reliably find early-stage pancreatic cancer in people who do not show symptoms.
According to the American Cancer Society, potential symptoms of pancreatic cancer include the following:
Jaundice (yellowed skin)
Darkened urine
Lightened stool
Abdominal pain
Lack of appetite
Weight loss
Nausea and/or vomiting
Upper abdominal pain
Middle back pain
Gas and/or bloating
Sudden-onset diabetes
Fatigue
Itchy skin
Gastroenterologist Dr. Tilak Shah, the medical director of Cleveland Clinic Weston’s Pancreas Center, says that people with a family history of pancreatic cancer should undergo regular blood tests to “assess for new-onset or worsening diabetes (an early sign of pancreatic cancer) and annual imaging with MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and/or endoscopic ultrasound.”
Shah says risk factors for pancreatic cancer include long-term inflammation of the pancreas (chronic pancreatitis) as well as pancreatic cysts. He also notes that lifestyle choices such as smoking, heavy alcohol use and copious consumption of processed foods and/or red meat are associated with increased risk of pancreatic cancer.
Diagnosing and treating pancreatic cancer
In most cases pancreatic cancer is initially identified on imaging tests like computed tomography (CT) scan, MRI, or ultrasound of the abdomen. Confirmation usually requires a biopsy of the mass, which is typically done using a specialized procedure called endoscopic ultrasound.
Patients are sedated during this procedure, which involves “passing a camera (echoendoscope) through the mouth into the stomach and intestine and then taking a biopsy with a fine needle that’s passed through the scope” explains Shah.
When the tumor is still confined to the pancreas — and not in close contact with any large blood vessels — there’s a chance patients might benefit from surgical removal of the mass.
“But if the tumor has invaded into the blood vessels or has spread to other organs, then surgery is unlikely to be beneficial,” notes Shah.
In these cases, chemotherapy and/or radiation are the only viable treatment options.
Pancreatic cancer stats
64,000 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year.
50,000 people will die of pancreatic cancer this year.
The five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer patients is 12.5%.
Pancreatic cancer is the eighth most common cancer in women and the 10th most common cancer in men — yet it accounts for the third-most cancer deaths in U.S.
— Source: American Cancer Society
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Jerry Springer, Maria Menounos put pancreatic cancer back in spotlight
