Ali İlkhan, 51, living in Şanlıurfa, applied to the hospital with the complaint of bloating in his stomach. İlkhan, who had occasional untimely attacks of pain and thought that he had an ulcer in his stomach, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Ali, who was caught in the first stage of the disease, regained his health after the surgery.

Ali İlkhan, 51, who works as an agricultural engineer in Şanlıurfa, applied to the hospital with a complaint of bloating in his stomach. İlkhan, who had no previous disease and did not even take medication for headaches, began to experience untimely pains. Following the examinations, İlkhan, who went from one hospital to another for diagnosis of his disease, was told that he had pancreatic cancer. Stating that he did not lose his morale when he first heard of the disease, and that he did not lose hope because he learned that it was in the first stage, İlkhan said; "I thought there was something like an ulcer or gastritis in my stomach. It was a new chapter in my life. From now on, I will live away from stress, more comfortably, in an open space, avoiding noisy environments.” İlkhan regained his health after Whipple surgery performed by Yeditepe University Koşuyolu Hospital General Surgery Specialist.

I Didn't Worry; Felt Like A Tooth Extraction

Stating that he did not lose his morale the moment he learned that he had pancreatic cancer, Ali İlkhan said, “There has been no case of cancer in our family until today. The Doctor who detected the disease said that it was in the first stage, it was an early diagnosis and that's why I was lucky. So I didn't worry at all, it seemed like a simple tooth extraction to me. I did not upset my morale, I did my best not to upset the morale of those around me," he said.

No Symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer Have Been Seen in Me

İlkhan, who recommends that people should definitely consult a doctor in the face of constant pain, said, “I did not have any symptoms seen in pancreatic cancer. It was insidious, but swelling and pain such as stinging at certain times prompted me to pursue this disease.

It was a coincidence; I Thought It Was a Stomach Ulcer

Ilkhan, who stated that he thinks that there may be a disease such as an ulcer or gastritis in his stomach, said, “It was entered into the pancreatic duct and a mass was found by examinations. It was found by chance. I started walking the next day after the Whipple surgery. I started to feel healthy, my mood was already good and it got better. According to what my Doctor told me, it was a very successful operation.”

It Was a New Chapter in My Life

Saying that he was happy to regain his health after the illness, İlkhan said, “It was a new chapter in my life. From now on, I will live away from stress, more comfortably, in an open space, avoiding noisy environments. I will try to eat healthier. I have lived without breakfast for many years, but from now on I will not neglect breakfast.”

Can Be Treated When Caught In The Early Stage

Yeditepe University Koşuyolu Hospital General Surgery Specialist, who performed Ali İlkhan's operation (Whipple surgery), said that pancreatic cancer is not rare cancer. Noting that pancreatic cancer is an aggressive type, our specialist said, “It is known that it is a deadlier cancer among the people. However, pancreatic cancers are curable, especially when caught at an early stage. According to the data of the Ministry of Health, there are over 9,000 cases of pancreatic cancer annually, but these data are from 5 years ago. Looking at the new data, it can be easily predicted that this will be over 10 thousand. Pancreatic cancer is associated with obesity and smoking, and its incidence is increasing for such reasons. People who are obese are 20 percent more likely to have pancreatic cancer than those who are not. Only 1 in 5 pancreatic cancers can be detected at an early stage. It is an insidious disease. He is very lucky to be one of 20 percent of patients.". 

Give Symptoms with Jaundice at a Rate of 90 Percent; No Pain

Noting that 90 percent of pancreatic cancer comes with jaundice, our specialist continued his words as follows: It comes with complaints such as yellowing, darkening of urine colors, and lightening in the color of fecal matter. Most patients do not have pain and apply with jaundice disease. Mr. Ali applied with a complaint of pain. While investigating this pain, a mass was seen in the head of the pancreas. A sample was taken from this mass by endoscopic ultrasound. In this way, we were able to detect pancreatic cancer early.

Longevity Chance in the Early-Stage 90 Percent

“The survival rate of patients whose cancer is detected in the early stages varies between 40 and 90 percent,” said the General Surgery Specialist, expressing that; “When stage 3 arrives, there is a long-term survival rate of 13-15 percent. The long-term survival rate is 1 to 3 percent for patients who have metastasized, spread to the environment, and whose pancreatic tumor cannot be removed. Our specialist told us that they would apply chemotherapy to Ali İlkhan to prevent the recurrence of the disease.

Press Coverage: halktv | msn | mynet | sondakika | haberler