Popular YouTube star Brian Barczyk, higher often called the “Snake Guy,” is in an emotional battle with pancreatic most cancers. Barczyk revealed his analysis final 12 months and has since shared components of his most cancers journey together with his thousands and thousands of followers on social media whereas aiming to encourage others.
Barczyk owns Reptarium in Utica, Michigan, and gained reputation by academic movies showcasing numerous sorts of reptiles. He appeared regularly on the Discovery Channel’s “Venom Hunters” present in 2016. However, when he was recognized with inoperable pancreatic most cancers, which implies docs can not surgically take away the most cancers attributable to its superior state, the “Snake Guy” shared his state of affairs together with his on-line supporters.
Although Barczyk admits the odds were stacked against him as he battled late-stage pancreatic cancer, he remains resilient. Nearly a year after his diagnosis, he’s misplaced some weight and hair amid most cancers remedy. In January 2024, he entered hospice care, which focuses on comforting the affected person.
The major distinction between palliative care and hospice care is that in hospice care, no efforts are made to treatment the sickness. Meanwhile, palliative care may present remedy “intended to cure” the sickness.
Supportive followers additionally proceed to bathe him with phrases of encouragement.
RELATED: Clearing Up Misconceptions About Palliative Care
“Brian, no one uplifts us with their love for life like you. Thank you for all you have done for this world,” Facebook person Melody Barnhart wrote in a remark.
“Sending all the love in the world! Love seeing, watching, and learning from such a genuinely kind-hearted soul,” Facebook person Sabina Aulicino-Mattern commented.
Barczyk added he’s been “deeply touched by the overwhelming love and support” from his military of supporters.
Resilient Pancreatic Cancer Journeys
The Silent Disease
Pancreatic most cancers begins within the pancreas and is called the “silent disease.”
Symptoms of the illness hardly ever present up till it has superior and metastasized (unfold) to different components of the physique.
Although pancreatic most cancers survival charges have been enhancing, it’s nonetheless thought of to be largely incurable. An exception to that is if the tumor continues to be sufficiently small and localized sufficient to be operated on.
WATCH: Pancreatic most cancers and early detection.
The National Cancer Institute identifies pancreatic most cancers signs to incorporate:
- Dark urine
- Pain within the stomach
- Unexplained weight reduction
- Light-colored stools
- Loss of urge for food and fatigue
Treatment choices for pancreatic most cancers might embody surgical procedure, radiation, chemotherapy, and focused remedy.
More Hope for Pancreatic Cancer Treatment
Based on Barczyk’s description of his analysis, the most cancers was found in its later levels, making it more difficult to deal with. However, some progress has been made for sufferers on this state of affairs—one development concerned PARP inhibitors.
RELATED: How Do PARP Inhibitors Work for Pancreatic Cancer?
PARP inhibitors stop most cancers cells broken usually throughout chemotherapy from naturally therapeutic themselves and have proven important promise in treating ovarian and breast most cancers. However, a research introduced on the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in June revealed that one in all these PARP inhibitor medication, olaparib (Lynparza), may work for pancreatic most cancers.
The drug prolonged the time that sufferers with superior levels of pancreatic most cancers who had BRCA gene mutations may dwell with out the most cancers worsening (a measurement docs name “progression-free survival”). The drug was permitted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Immunotherapy Offers Hope
Immunotherapy is the method of activating a affected person’s personal immune system to acknowledge and attack most cancers cells. These remedy choices may very well be advantageous for sufferers who handle to catch pancreatic most cancers in its early levels. A research funded by the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy mixed two immunotherapy medication with chemotherapy — and located some sufferers skilled both a shrinking of tumors or a slowing of the development of tumors.
“Until now, immunotherapy hasn’t had a big role,” Dr. Allyson Ocean, Medical Oncologist at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian, instructed SurvivorNet. “Now this study combines two immunotherapy drugs with frontline standard chemotherapy, and we’re seeing response rates significantly better than what was published with other chemotherapies alone.”
Immunotherapy doesn’t work for all sufferers with superior pancreatic most cancers. Still, the advances introduced on this research and others all through 2019 give these dealing with this illness a lot hope.
Questions for Your Doctor
If you might be dealing with a pancreatic most cancers analysis, you could have questions however are uncertain find out how to get the solutions you want. SurvivorNet suggests asking your physician the next to kickstart your journey to extra strong solutions.
- What sort of pancreatic most cancers do I’ve?
- Has my most cancers unfold past my pancreas? If so, the place has it unfold, and what’s the stage of the illness?
- What is my prognosis?
- What are my remedy choices?
- What unwanted effects ought to I count on after present process remedy?
- Will insurance coverage cowl my beneficial remedy?
Learn extra about SurvivorNet’s rigorous medical assessment course of.
