In the Loop: Helping patients with pancreatic cancer live longer is personal for this physician
Mark Truty, M.D., knows firsthand how difficult a pancreatic cancer diagnosis is for patients and their families, which is why he’s made it his life’s work to offer hope to those who’ve been told there is none.
When Mark Truty, M.D., was just 19, his 58-year-old father died from pancreatic cancer. "He went to the operating room, had major complications, never got chemotherapy, and died in my arms six months later," Dr. Truty tells Sharing Mayo Clinic.
That experience shaped Dr. Truty's life's work. He became a surgical oncologist at Mayo Clinic, and he has dedicated his career "to giving patients with pancreatic cancer more quality time with their loved ones," according to Mayo's Advancing the Science in an article originally published in Mayo Clinic Alumni. "When I got into medicine, I knew we had to advance the science and treatment for this disease," he tells the publication. "Patients want to know there's hope. They want another holiday with their loved ones. After they're diagnosed, they ask me if they'll live to see another Christmas. Now I get to tell many of them yes."
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This story originally appeared on the In the Loop blog.