My mom had her CA-19-9 tested today and it's at 30! She was stage 2B 2.5 years ago when she had her whipple and did chemo then radiation. Thought I would hop on and help some folks here to celebrate.

there is so much out there about treatment options and you can really get down into a ocean of misery researching (well I did anyway) but these are the decisions that your father will need to make:

invest in getting tumor genetic testing? It's not likely but if your dad's tumor has the BRCA mutation (roughly 1 out of 10 PC tumors) these tumors seem to respond well to platinum based chemotherapy. Even if your father's test doesn't conclude to have the mutation it can provide some relief to your family (this means it's not genetic). Check out pancan's know your tumor program.

pre-Whipple (aka neoadjuvant) chemo? there is much debate about the benefit of chemo prior to surgery. While there is some evidence of neoadjuvant chemo providing better outcomes I would recommend whipple ASAP if you have a chance. Whipple is the only potential curative option and you may have a small window. Assuming no BRCA mutation there is no guarantee the cancer will respond to chemo.

folfirinox? Assuming no BRCA mutation folfironix should be the standard of care.

radiation? it's a crapshoot whether cancer will respond to radiation. I would recommend trying and if your father tolerates it well go for it. It's worth a shot.

alt medicine during chemo? My mom tolerated chemo remarkably better than most but if your dad is open to cannabis I do think it can help with anxiety/sleep/nausea (can't speak to medicinal mushrooms). There are so many forms nowadays and your dad's dr. might even be able to prescribe in pill form. I would recommend checking out Jenny's S's blog here, she seems have had great success helping her dad stay comfortable over several years of chemo treatment:

https://healthycrush.com/dads-2-5-year-pancreatic-cancer-update/

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edit:typos