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Randy Pausch, the noted Carnegie Mellon computer science professor, has died at the age of 47 from pancreatic cancer. Pausch had become internationally known for his now famous Last Lecture, which was viewed by millions (you can watch it below) and was the subject of his #1 bestseller of the same name, which has already been translated into at least 30 languages. Since his diagnosis, Mr. Pausch had been treated with surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and an experimental cancer vaccine. So what is it about pancreatic cancer that makes it so deadly?
Let’s start with some basic information. Pancreatic cancer will be diagnosed in about 37,680 Americans in 2008 and will take the lives of about 34,290 making it the fourth most common cause of cancer death after lung, colon, prostate and breast cancers. Because of its hidden location, lack of symptoms and absence of screening tests, […]

Original post by natalieb and weightlossopinions.com

The big celebrity news this week is that, unfortunately, Patrick Swayze has pancreatic cancer. It’s unclear what the extent of his disease is because early reports that he might be terminal have been squelched by his team who say that his disease is “limited” and that he has responded well to treatment. We all wish him well, but only time will tell. What’s so unfortunate are the statistics on cancer of the pancreas, which typically has a very high mortality rate with only 15 to 20 percent of people alive after five years. The biggest problem with pancreatic cancer is that the organ is hidden away and its cancer doesn’t usually cause any symptoms until it’s far advanced. That coupled with the facts that there’s no good screening methods and that treatments for cancer of the pancreas aren’t that great, means that this is one diagnosis you hope never to […]

Original post by admin and weightlossopinions.com