HealthThursday, November 12
The John B. Amos Cancer Center is giving patients a new pancreatic cancer pill
The Today in Columbus team
If you or someone you love is facing pancreatic cancer, there's a new option close to home. Piedmont Oncology providers at the John B. Amos Cancer Center are among the first community oncologists in Georgia to give patients Rasonque, an FDA-approved daily pill. It's for patients who have already had at least one round of chemotherapy.
About 3% of stage 4 pancreatic cancer patients survive five years
3%Five-year survival rate for stage 4 pancreatic cancer, about
Source: Columbus CEO
View as table
| Value | |
|---|---|
| Five-year survival rate for stage 4 pancreatic cancer, about | 3% |
- Local patients: more than two dozen have received it at Amos
- Where to fill it: Regional Hope Pharmacy, lobby level of the cancer center
- Cost: covered by commercial insurances; grants may cut out-of-pocket costs
- Not a cure: pharmacists call it another treatment
In the clinical trial behind FDA approval, patients on Rasonque lived an average of roughly 13 months, compared with less than seven months before.
13 monthsaverage survival on Rasonque in the clinical trial, roughly
Patients on standard therapy averaged less than seven months.
Source: Columbus CEO
“At one point I couldn't walk on my own, now I'm to the point where I use a walker but only when I have to.”
Sources: Columbus CEO, WTVM.com