"Caused inflammation and abdominal pain": Shelly Yachimovich reveals how she discovered pancreatic cancer
Former Knesset member and journalist Shelly Yachimovich published an update on her condition and answered questions from the public. She explained how the tumor was diagnosed at an early stage and clarified that the new pancreatic cancer drug is not currently relevant for her.
About a week after revealing that she is dealing with pancreatic cancer, Shelly Yachimovich published a personal update on Sunday following the wave of reactions she received. In the post, she thanked everyone for the support, answered the most common questions she was asked, and shared how the tumor was discovered at a relatively early stage.
"I am still a bit in shock from the amount and intensity of the reactions I received from you. It was a tsunami of empathy, concern, offers of help, encouragement, and just kindness. A big thank you."
She went on to reveal how the disease was diagnosed at an early stage — a situation that is not common in pancreatic cancer. According to her, the tumor was located between the pancreas and the bile ducts. It caused a partial blockage, inflammation, and abdominal pain. After she turned to a clinic, she was referred to the emergency room, where she underwent an ultrasound and later a CT scan, during which the tumor was discovered.
"The surgeon arrived and said: 'We also identified a tumor process in the pancreas.' I asked if that meant cancer, and he replied that the chance is high."
She noted that her case is relatively unusual, because most of the time pancreatic cancer does not cause symptoms in the early stages, and therefore many patients are diagnosed only when the disease has already spread.
Last week, Yachimovich revealed that the disease was diagnosed eight months ago. According to her, the tumor was discovered without metastases, was removed surgically, and three CT scans performed since then have not shown signs of the disease returning. Despite this, she continues to undergo chemotherapy treatment once every two weeks to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence. "There are hard days, but there is no misery or fear," she wrote.
Yachimovich also addressed the new drug for pancreatic cancer, about which she was asked many times, and clarified that at this stage it is not suitable for her condition. "The tumor was removed and there are no metastases," she wrote, adding that she hopes she will not need it in the future either.
