Tired and happy: November 14 will feel like a second birthday for Sabine Treffkorn. On October 20, a tumor from his pancreas and metastases from his liver were removed at the Visceral, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery Clinic at Dresden University Hospital. Three and a half weeks later, he is now waiting for his discharge certificate from the hospital under clear blue skies. She wore a purple top. Purple is the color used every year in Germany to commemorate this evil cancer. Purple symbolizes courage and survival.
Hope for the longest possible quality of life
“I am very happy now because I feel very healthy now, and it turns out very well for such an operation,” said the 49-year-old project manager from Berlin. “And of course I’m happy that it worked and that the doctors and nurses have gone out of their way to help me. I now have great hope that I will have a good quality of life for a long time.”
Six months ago, the world looked very different to him. Shortly after Pentecost, he received a diagnosis that in many cases amounted to a death sentence: pancreatic cancer. This disease is very dangerous because it shows no symptoms in the early stages. Sabine Schlagkorn initially lost more weight without changing her lifestyle or diet.
“Then non-specific things appeared, such as pain under the ribs. Because it kept disappearing, I didn’t go to the doctor,” said the woman. It then becomes acute with severe abdominal and back pain. The third time, his mother took him to the emergency room. Initially the doctor suspected gallstones. However, the diagnosis was immediately made.
The diagnosis was experienced as a shock
“My father died of pancreatic cancer seven years ago. I was familiar with this disease, but I still didn’t think that I could have it now,” said Sabine Treffkorn. The diagnosis shocked him. When he was examined at Straussberg Hospital, they said that he could only receive palliative care and he was shown to the palliative care ward.
Even at the Berlin Charité, they didn’t give him any hope, Treffkorn said. He came to Dresden University Hospital through the intercession of his aunt, a nuclear medicine specialist from Leipzig. He didn’t experience moments of uncertainty like a rollercoaster ride. “I was actually confident. That you put me in there Dresden the desire to operate gave me hope.” Family support also plays a role in this.
Science does not yet know for certain why cases of pancreatic cancer have increased sharply in recent years. In Germany alone, around 20,000 new cases will occur in 2023. “One of the reasons is of course because the population is getting older. The older the age, the higher the risk of developing cancer,” emphasized Jürgen Weitz, Director of the Visceral, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery Clinic at Dresden University Hospital.
Often this disease is simply caused by bad luck and coincidence
The professor pointed to risk factors such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, alcohol consumption, smoking and chronic pancreatitis. There is also a certain hereditary component. Unfortunately, it’s often just bad luck and coincidence. If symptoms appear, you don’t need to panic, but you should get checked.
But that brings us to the next problem. Because there are no obvious early symptoms of pancreatic cancer, Weitz said. The classic warning signal is a yellow discoloration of the skin. However, non-specific symptoms such as weight loss, stomach ache and fatigue can also indicate this dangerous disease. The same is true for new diabetes.
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth largest cause of cancer death
Pancreatic cancer is now the fourth most common cause of death among cancers of all genders. By 2030, it will be the second most common disease, said the 59-year-old professor. There are good prevention programs for colon cancer, prostate cancer or breast cancer. “They are found at an early stage, so the prognosis is better. This is not yet the case with the pancreas.”
Resection of a tumor from the pancreas is one of the most difficult interventions in the human body. This organ is located in the middle of the stomach and is surrounded by important blood vessels. “On the one hand, you have to undergo radical surgery to completely remove the tumor. On the other hand, it is important to protect the surrounding area; blood vessels may have to be removed if the tumor has grown there.
“When it comes to the pancreas, doctors are always faced with a decision: Can I remove the tumor or not. The question is yes or no. “That determines the fate of the patient,” the professor explains the problem. Resection can only be done in around 20 percent of patients. Meanwhile, for the rest of the patients, only palliative treatment can be done to reduce the impact.
The prognosis improves if the tumor is successfully removed
Because pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive types of cancer and is often detected late, only about eleven percent of those affected survive the first five years after diagnosis. “But you have to differentiate. If the tumor is completely removed, the prognosis is much better. It is also much better if a combination of resection and chemotherapy is performed.”
Although each case of pancreatic cancer is unique, there is a standard approach. Before surgery, if the disease is locally advanced, patients receive chemotherapy for three months to shrink the tumor. Chemo often follows surgery. The death rate from an operation depends greatly on the location where it occurs. They say the numbers are lower at centers that have experienced specialists.
Pancreatic surgery is considered a very complicated procedure
Medical skills are required, especially if complications arise during or after surgery. “Surgeries on the pancreas are complicated,” Weitz reports. Heavy bleeding may occur. The suture between the pancreas and intestines is very delicate and the experience of the medical team is essential. With 160 to 180 resections per year, Dresden is one of the largest resection centers in the entire country.
Sebastian Hempel, the doctor who treated Sabine Treffkorn, was one of the doctors in Dresden who had mastered the art of pancreatic surgery. He and Jürgen Weitz and other colleagues spent eight hours removing the tumor from Treffkorn’s pancreas. After the operation he felt fine.
Positive motivation is the main goal of the entire treatment
“We must advise patients well and in detail and explain to them what we can and cannot do about this disease. From this they can also draw hope and develop positive motivation. “That is the end of the whole treatment,” said the doctor. The best surgery is useless if the patient ultimately has no motivation to get out of bed again.
Now, after the tumor was successfully removed, Treffkorn can make plans again. He wants to celebrate his 50th birthday on July 20, 2026 in a big way. The plan was decided, but he didn’t want to reveal it – after all, he didn’t want his friends to find out about the surprise from the newspapers.
Patient: “I have hope again to start living.”
Sabine Treffkorn knows she’s not out of the woods yet. “I have to do chemotherapy again now, but it feels different. During the first chemotherapy, I didn’t know where it was going and whether it would help or not. But now I know it’s over. I have hope again to start living.”
He is not alone in this. Every year on the third Thursday of November, buildings in Germany are lit purple to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer. Often they are hospitals. In Dresden, city landmarks such as the Semperoper or the Elbe Bridge, Blaues Wunder, repeatedly serve this purpose. Next Thursday will be the Albertinum of the Dresden State Art Collection.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:251118-930-306390/1
