Elsa found herself at a premier comprehensive cancer clinic in West Los Angeles
“You don’t know it until you have to use them; you have some really amazing people here,” Elsa Gonzalez, a 68-year-old woman, says of her care team and overall experience with pancreatic cancer at Providence, Saint John’s Health Center.
Elsa was diagnosed with stage 1 pancreatic cancer in late February of 2023, and in March of that same year had the Whipple procedure to remove the tumor from the pancreas performed by Dr. Anton Bilchik, surgical oncologist and Chief of Surgery at Providence, Saint John’s Health Center. She received chemotherapy for 6 months thereafter with Dr. Sean Fischer, her medical oncologist. Fortunately, Elsa found herself at a premier comprehensive cancer clinic in West Los Angeles, where she was cared for throughout the entire process.
“We are going to walk this journey with you.”
– Sean Fischer, MD
Hearing she was cancer-free in October 2023 was a massive milestone; however, her journey with cancer treatments wasn’t finalized until her chemotherapy port was removed about a year later in November of 2024.
Even though stage 1 cancers have a better chance of being completely cured because they have not metastasized (spread to other parts of the body), pancreatic cancers, especially, can recur after the initial treatment period, which is why she is still being monitored.
Does Pancreatic Cancer Have Symptoms?
We tend to think there’s going to be a symptom of cancer or an underlying risk factor we can identify early, and sometimes there is. However, most people who get pancreatic cancer experience no symptoms to alert them to see a doctor. Even more, there are no standardized screening methods in place or part of an annual exam that can help detect pancreatic cancer.
Cancer is still considered mainly an age-related and environmentally caused disease, which means it can happen to anyone regardless of underlying risk factors, lifestyle, or genetic markers.
So how did Elsa discover she had cancer?
Elsa had symptoms and noticed early warning signs which she said she initially “blew off.” She had discolored urine, which she attributed to being an overly active individual. She also had discoloring of the skin and eyes which was initially ignored. Later it was evident that she was becoming jaundiced, a symptom that can occur when there is a problem with the liver, blood, or if the bile duct is blocked.
Elsa was fortunate to have these visual signs. Even though Elsa would say she ignored her symptoms, she really did not. She has always advocated for her health, paying close attention to her calcium, blood sugar, and other levels. She made an appointment to see Dr. James Sul, a gastroenterologist at Saint John’s, to further investigate her jaundice condition.
KEY POINT: Stage 1 pancreatic cancers can progress into stage 4 in the course of one year regardless of a healthy lifestyle.
Can You Detect Pancreatic Cancer?
Yes. Today, there is a screening method for pancreatic cancer that is in the early stages. At Saint John’s Cancer Institute, we have taken part in a multinational study called Galleri, or MCED, Multi-cancer Early Detection. Recently, this test correctly detected stage 2 pancreatic cancer from a single blood draw of a patient who had no symptoms. The MCED test can detect up to 50 different cancers. Learn more here.
Elsa shares her journey with pancreatic cancer at Providence, Saint John’s Health Center
Elsa Gonzalez candidly speaks to SJCI about her care in March 2024
What is the Whipple Procedure?
For Elsa, she did not need to have a portion her stomach removed based on where the tumor was on the pancreas.
The Whipple procedure is a complex operation not offered in many healthcare settings, and local physicians routinely refer to Dr. Bilchik to take on such complex cases, because he is one of the foremost experts in gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary diseases in the Los Angeles metropolitan area and possibly the nation.
The Whipple procedure is beneficial for those with early-stage pancreatic cancer because of its hopeful effects on long-term survival. Surgery is still the mainstay treatment for pancreatic cancer and the best way to cure pancreatic cancer while in its early stages.
“We are very pleased with Elsa’s progress because her quality of life has returned.”
– Anton Bilchik, MD, PhD, FACS
What Elsa wants others diagnosed with cancer to know
Elsa wants others with cancer to not focus on the what-ifs, but rather to focus their attention on what they can control, saving their energy on healing themselves, and finding a care team they can trust. “It’s just part of the process,” she says in her testimonial above.
To Elsa’s Oncologists…
The Galleri Test is the only screening method we have to diagnose pancreatic cancer early. Please call our regional genetics scheduling line at 818-748-4748. Or visit, Providence.org/Locations/SoCal/Genetics-and-Genomics
More about the Galleri® test for Multi-Cancer Early Detection:
- Detects a shared cancer signal across 50+ types of cancer through a simple blood draw
- Uses machine learning and methylation pattern recognition to detect a cancer signal
- Predicts origin of the cancer signal to guide next steps to diagnosis
See a list of MCED discoverable cancers here.
The media was captured in March of 2024 by Saint John’s Cancer Institute’s media and marketing team.