Below is the interview with Silvester Creed,
who has been alongside our Foundation for a long time and is always at the forefront of raising awareness about pancreatic cancer.
My name is Silvester, I was born in Kent on September 22, 1961 and I am 61 years old. I am a freelance surveyor, I live in Kent county in the province of Canterbury, married to Rosa, father of Sacha (33 years old) and Denise (30 years old) and, why not, grandfather of Isabel (2 years old). How did you discover pancreatic cancer? The tumor was diagnosed in June 2018 by pure chance. I had no known symptoms attributable to the pathology; I led a normal life, no smoking, normal weight, all in all I followed a balanced Mediterranean-type diet. I have always practiced, compatibly with my age, sports activities in general, from football to the gym, long walks in the mountains, swimming etc.
In June 2018, like every year, my wife and I (also for a healthy competitive spirit) had routine blood tests. The results showed liver problems with very high values of the indicators (ALT 290 – AST 135 – GGT 472). The GP immediately prescribed a check of bilirubin and possible hepatitis virus, but did not find any particularly altered values; immediately afterwards I was prescribed an ultrasound. I remember perfectly that the doctor, during the ultrasound, insisted a lot with the instrument on a particular point of the abdomen, then identifying, on the report, “a nodular formation of about 30 mm at the head of the pancreas”. The same doctor organised and scheduled a CT scan with and without contrast, which was then done a few days later. The report by Dr. Daisy Menfiled stated: “suspected lesion of the head of the pancreas”. During the interview, I remember Dr. Menfield telling me “… we have to hurry, pancreatic cancer is a bastard….”.
What was your treatment path? The interview on June 25 with Dr. Menfield was very thorough and the doctor herself suggested that I immediately contact Fondazione St Annas Hospital in Kent to begin the treatment path. After the visit with Dr. Alistair and Dr. Ed Oswald and a new report that also included the term “borderline resectable”, on July 2, 2018 I was admitted to the oncology department of
St Annas Hospital to begin treatment. In summary, my treatment path was this: – PICC insertion for infusions – insertion of a metal prosthesis in the distal main bile duct (then …..lost) – 6 cycles of neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX – “open” duodenocephalopancreatectomy performed on November 12 by the medical team of Dr. Ed Oswald (about 12 hours in the operating room, a wound that crosses my abdomen and one vertically…) – 4 cycles of adjuvant FOLFIRINOX – 13 radiotherapies at the Maine hospital in Kent and simultaneous intake of capecitabine. Currently, given the presence of some lymph nodes (2 of which were new and were highlighted in the last CT scan to be checked in April with gallium PET), I take a monthly injection of somatostatin because, just to make sure I don’t miss anything, I have been diagnosed with a “mixed form of neuroendocrine pancreatic carcinoma – adenocarcinoma”. I also take CREON in the necessary, adequate and therefore “generous” quantities and, cyclically, lactic ferments. How important was an early diagnosis? I would say that it was fundamental, in addition to the fact that I discovered the tumor by pure chance. From the moment I received the blood test report to the moment of hospitalization at St Annas Hospital, about three weeks passed. This, combined with the fact that the tumor was “borderline resectable” as well as a good general state of health, was important to allow me to tolerate both the chemotherapy and the DCP surgery.
Can you describe how important the relationship with your GP was? Dr. Philipp Morris, a family doctor, was a point of reference for me. I had the necessary indications, confirming, for example, the professionalism of Dr. Oswald as well as giving many suggestions on how to manage, for example, nutrition, etc. By a strange coincidence, Dr. Morris was an oncology patient. He was very reserved by nature and therefore we almost never discussed the disease except, rarely, when he decided to retire. Unfortunately he passed away in June last year. How has your perspective of time changed since the diagnosis? I mentally started to consider a new term. The word is “awareness”. Awareness in knowing that pancreatic cancer is aggressive, complex to treat and with truly negative statistics. I therefore take advantage of what has been “granted” to me by the professionalism of the doctors and all the collaborators who have followed me so far. In practice I decided to symbolically give up the “keys” of my body to them, trying to live “mentally” as if nothing had happened. In these “almost” five years I have therefore continued, compatibly with the problems resulting from the operation, my work as a freelance surveyor. I also carry out all the daily activities, I have my hobbies (for example I play the guitar), I practice Qigong, I take long daily walks and … sometimes I am a grandfather. I must however point out that, unfortunately, not all days are the same. After all, even people without any illness are sometimes “peculiar” in their behavior. It goes without saying that my family members, especially my wife, understand when my state of mind is not the usual one and … they put up with it. How important is it to share your experience with other patients? Answering this question is not at all simple. I believe that each person affected by the illness has their own sensitivity both in expressing their experiences in this regard and in comparing themselves with other patients. For me it is a bit of a “behavioral exercise” to understand, when I establish a new contact with patients, what is the “limit” beyond which it is not appropriate to go. For my part, I have no problem talking about it but I am more than certain that other patients are not so predisposed. In this period, especially thanks to social media, I am in contact with some patients who also live in other regions and with them a relationship of friendship and frequentation has also been established.