‘She died just eight weeks later’ – husband recalls devastation of losing wife to ‘silent’ pancreatic cancer

A man has revealed how his family was left devastated after his wife died just eight weeks after getting a diagnosis of the disease known as the “silent cancer”.

Niall Rochford, the managing director of Ashford Castle in Co Mayo, said his wife Stella passed away from pancreatic cancer.

He has now joined other patients and survivors on World Pancreatic Cancer Day in trying to raise awareness of the cancer which affects 600 people in Ireland.

Around 500 of these patients will die of the cancer, half within a year of diagnosis.

Niall Rochford and Stella Rochford

He said his wife Stella, a mother-of-three, found out she had the cancer in 2022 and had no idea her death would be so sudden.

“Stella received her diagnosis, but the cancer was already advanced and she died just eight weeks later,” Mr Rochford said.

“By the time Stella received her diagnosis, the cancer was already at an advanced stage, and she died just eight weeks later.

“I want to save as many families as possible from the trauma and devastation we have experienced and that starts with awareness of this deadly disease that ruins so many lives.”

Meanwhile, Rachel Duquesnois from Dublin whose mother Martina Dunne died of pancreatic cancer last year founded Pancreatic Cancer Ireland following the death.

She said: ”While you often hear about people living for years with a terminal cancer diagnosis there something particularly horrific about pancreatic cancer is how quickly it progresses, often silently.

“My mam died just eight months after her diagnosis, which was five weeks before her first grandchild was born and only eight months from her initial diagnosis.

“If Ireland had an established screening pathway for those with a strong family history of cancer, there is a chance my mam’s would have been caught on time and she would be here with us today.”

Pancreatic cancer survivor Pamela Deasy said that without early diagnosis she would not have been able to undergo a successful course of treatment.

She told how she had developed jaundice – and after undergoing tests was shocked when she learned she had pancreatic cancer.

“I underwent chemotherapy but my tumour had not shrunk, so combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy was the next course of action before surgery,” she said.

Ms Deasy underwent surgery “which was 11-and-a-half hours, with the head of my pancreas, gallbladder, bile duct and associated lymph nodes removed. I also had my spleen and part of my intestine and stomach removed”, she said.

The treatment was intense but four years on she is well and has six monthly check-ups.

Prof Aisling Barry, chair of the radiation oncology in University College Cork (UCC), said that if anyone experienced one or more of six key symptoms to consider seeking further medical care.

The symptoms include tummy pain or back pain, digestive problems: poor appetite, indigestion, nausea, jaundice yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes or itchiness.

Other symptoms can be a noticeable change in bowel habits with light-coloured or floating stools, a new diagnosis of diabetes or diabetes that’s getting harder to control or unexplained weight loss.

“While of course these symptoms in isolation may have other causes, it’s important that people are alerted to their potential association with pancreatic cancer, particularly if there is a family history of the disease,” she said.

“While many of the symptoms might only develop as the disease progresses, people can empower themselves to seek further medical input by being aware of their family medical history and by knowing these potential symptoms.

“Unfortunately, when people do develop symptoms, they are often vague and nonspecific, leading to a delay in diagnosis that may extend several months. This can be compounded by delays or restricted access to radiology imaging and testing.”

Tom Gallagher, consultant surgeon at the National Surgical Centre for Pancreatic Cancer at St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin, said: “While there are clear challenges in terms of diagnosis, where the cancer is captured early, surgery can be very successful in removing a tumour and giving the patient the best possible chance of survival.

“Around 20pc of patients will have disease amenable to surgery. Unfortunately, we’re dealing with an aggressive cancer that can progress rapidly, limiting treatment options, so early intervention is absolutely critical.”

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