Â鶹ӳ»­

When retired geologist and author David Allard was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer in August 2020, his local doctor told him he had less than six months to live.?? 

¡°I was only 62 at the time,¡± David recalls. ¡°I hadn¡¯t had any symptoms. And I¡¯d always been very fit and active. So, I couldn¡¯t accept that prognosis.¡±? 

The Texas Hill Country resident sought a second opinion at MD Anderson. Gastroenterologist ; gastrointestinal medical oncologist ; and gastrointestinal radiation oncologist devised a treatment protocol. But some unchecked internal bleeding threatened to derail the whole plan.?? 

That¡¯s when they referred David to interventional radiologist And that¡¯s why David is still here, five years later.?

Unconventional problem calls for unconventional solution?

David¡¯s internal bleeding was due to a condition called portal and splenic vein thrombosis, blood clots in the main vessels that carry blood from the intestines to the liver. In David¡¯s case, they were caused by a lime-sized pancreatic tumor pressing up against both of those veins. That, in turn, was causing varices to develop in his stomach. They were under so much pressure, they¡¯d begun to bleed. ? 

As with all deep-tissue blood clots, David¡¯s thrombosis was potentially fatal on its own. But it also posed a serious roadblock to his healing.?

¡°David¡¯s internal bleeding was unresponsive to any conventional treatments, such as endoscopic cauterization,¡± explains Habibollahi. ¡°He was also losing so much blood that it was becoming life-threatening. As a result, David was unable to continue receiving cancer therapy.¡±?

Shunt installed during complex surgery still working, five years later? 

To resolve the problem, Habibollahi proposed a pair of procedures:?? 

1. An image-guided recanalization of the portal and splenic veins?? 
2. A trans-jugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt, also known as ¡°TIPS¡±?? 

The first procedure would create a new pathway for blood to flow through and decompress the varices that were bleeding. The second would protect the new connection with a shunt to ensure it remained open and functional. ? 

¡°Dr. Habibollahi said he couldn¡¯t guarantee it would work, but there was a pretty good chance that it would,¡± David recalls. ¡°He had done this surgery about 20 times before, and was successful in 75% of those cases.¡±?

David decided to take a chance. He had the complex, eight-hour surgery on Dec. 7, 2020, and stayed in the hospital for five days to recover.?

¡°I¡¯m really grateful that Dr. Habibollahi didn¡¯t give up,¡± adds David. ¡°He ran into a few snags during the procedure, but he kept trying, using an incredibly tiny tool set to do all this intravenously. The shunt is still there and working well. My blood counts are nearly normal.¡±?

Successful surgery means cancer treatment can continue?

Once it was clear the surgery had been successful, David was able to resume his cancer treatments. In all, he had 17 rounds of intravenous chemotherapy under gastrointestinal medical oncologist Shubham Pant, M.D., followed by three weeks of radiation therapy at the recommendation of radiation oncologist Eugene Koay, M.D.??

After his last radiation treatment in July 2021, David started taking an oral chemotherapy agent called capecitabine. He¡¯s been on that drug ever since for maintenance. He shows no evidence of disease.?

¡°Most people die within a year of my diagnosis,¡± says David. ¡°But scans show there¡¯s nothing but scar tissue left now where the tumor once was. That¡¯s why you can¡¯t just accept the first thing you¡¯re told. Dr. Habibollahi performed a surgery on me that¡¯s not done just anywhere. MD Anderson saved my life.¡±?

or by calling 1-877-632-6789.