Surviving Pancreatic Cancer

Surviving Pancreatic Cancer

Roberta Luna is a  24-year pancreatic cancer survivor. When she was diagnosed in 2002, her doctors gave her months to live. But she was determined that the same disease that had already taken her father and uncle would not take her. In this episode, Roberta talks with host Alisyn Camerota about navigating a stage three diagnosis, the role of clinical trials, the diet and lifestyle changes she credits with her health, and the survivor's guilt that comes with outliving a prognosis. She also shares why she's never made a bucket list — and why she jumps out of a plane every April instead. Listen to this conversation about hope, advocacy, and finding your "why." PancChat is a collaboration between Let's Win Pancreatic Cancer [https://letswinpc.org] and PanCAN [https://pancan.org], sponsored by Revolution Medicines.

Living with Pancreatic Cancer

What is it like to live with pancreatic cancer?. Randi Ervin was diagnosed with a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (PNET) in her 30s. Even after a total pancreatectomy she remains in treatment to keep the tumor in check.   In the years since her diagnosis she has become an insulin-dependent diabetic, lost her mother to pancreatic cancer, and built a full life as a health equity advocate and volunteer with PanCAN's Survivor Council and Health Equity Committee. In this episode, host Alisyn Camerota talks with Randi about what survivorship actually looks like a decade out — the monthly octreotide injections, the annual DOTATATE scans, the diabetes management, and the emotional weight of being both a patient and a caregiver. They also discuss why sharing your diagnosis with a wider circle can matter, how health equity shapes who gets to access good care, and why the five-year mark is not, in fact, the finish line. For more survivor stories, visit letswinpc.org.  For patient services and support, visit pancan.org. PancChat is produced in collaboration with Let's Win Pancreatic Cancer and PanCAN. PancChat sponsored by Revolution Medicines.

AI and Early Detection of Pancreatic Cancer

What if artificial intelligence could catch pancreatic cancer before a radiologist's eye does? In this episode of PancChat, host Alisyn Camerota speaks with Dr. Elliot Fishman, professor in the Departments of Radiology and Radiological Science, Oncology, and Surgery at Johns Hopkins Medicine, member of the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, and co-principal investigator of the FELIX Project for Early Detection of Pancreatic Cancer. Dr. Fishman shares how AI-powered imaging tools are being trained to detect tumors as small as two centimeters — and why that capability could save tens of thousands of lives a year. He also discusses the FELIX 2.0 project, the challenge of scaling AI across different hospital systems, and how AI is already transforming cancer care beyond pancreatic cancer, from mammography to drug development. PancChat is a collaboration between Let's Win Pancreatic Cancer [https://bit.ly/4aTSz8m] and PanCAN [https://bit.ly/40QANge]. The PancChat Podcast is sponsored by Revolution Medicines.  Resources: Let's Win Pancreatic Cancer [https://bit.ly/4aTSz8m]  PanCAN [https://bit.ly/40QANge]  Let’s Win Clinical Trial Finder [https://bit.ly/4r0tVYg]  PanCAN Clinical Trial Finder [https://bit.ly/46qzJ6c]  PanCAN Patient Services [https://bit.ly/4u5bBAc]

Screening and Surveillance

Pancreatic cancer is most often caught late — but that is starting to change. In this episode of PancChat, host Alisyn Camerota sits down with Dr. Raymond Wadlow, a gastrointestinal oncologist at the Inova Schar Cancer Institute and director of the High Risk Pancreatic Clinic, to talk about what screening and surveillance actually mean for people at elevated risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Dr. Wadlow walks through who qualifies for screening, which genetic mutations and family history patterns matter, and what the current imaging protocols look like. He also explains the promise and limitations of blood-based tests in development, the challenges of interval cancers, and how the PRECEDE [https://bit.ly/4dtlK28]consortium — now spanning 64 sites worldwide — is working to prove that finding this disease earlier saves lives. PancChat is a collaboration between Let's Win Pancreatic Cancer [https://bit.ly/4aTSz8m] and PanCAN [https://bit.ly/40QANge]. Find us wherever you listen to podcasts.

Immunotherapy and Personalized Treatments

So far, immunotherapy has been a game-changer in other cancers but not pancreatic cancer. Is that finally changing? In this episode of PancChat, host Alisyn Camerota sits down with Dr. Elizabeth Jaffee, deputy director of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins and chief medical advisor of the Lustgarten Foundation [http://lustgarten.org]. Dr. Jaffee breaks down the science behind pancreatic cancer's resistance to immunotherapy, the promise of cancer vaccines, and the emergence of KRAS inhibitors as a new class of targeted therapies. After thirty years in the field, she shares why she is more optimistic than ever. PancChat is a collaboration between Let's Win Pancreatic Cancer [http://letswinpc.org] and PanCAN [https://pancan.org].