Pancreatic Cancer mass is 24cm?

Question

My grandmother is 65 years old. They just found a mass that is 24cm long. I don't know what to think of this. I've done research but I can't find a specific answer. I don't know if she has a certain amount of time to live. All I know is she has to go to the hospital on Monday to see if they can remove the cancer, and if they can't then she's going to have to go under radiation. I don't really know what all that means for her life. I'm kinda freaking out right now so i can't really think straight, but I just can't find too much info about it and I've gone to plenty of sites. If you or anyone you know has gone through this, please let me know what happened and what had to be done. Remember, its 24cm and I don't think its moved onto other organs, not too sure though. ANY info will be helpful. Please help. Thanks in advance.

Update:

I was told 24cm, what if it was 24mm. She said exactly this, "The average mass is 6cm, hers is 24cm" I don't know if she got cm or mm mixed up.

Spreedog · Accepted Answer

24 centimeters is 9 and a half inches which is HUGE 
for a primary pancreatic carcinoma.  The surgery for this 
may be a Whipples procedure which as about as rough a surgery 
as a person may have.  Radiation will not work well against 
a pancreatic carcinoma of this size.
Chemotherapy would likely do more harm than good.
Radiation and chemotherapy NEVER cure a disease like this
 - if the diagnosis is correct.  I cannot see the scans myself.
I always looked at my patients' scans/x-ray studies.
Expected survival would be short - again - IF - the diagnosis
that you are giving us is correct.
- - - - 
The normal pancreas is only 15 cm or six inches long.
I have not heard of a pancreatic cancer this large.
I wonder if you are giving us the correct information.
24 mm would make more sense.
Very poor survival chances if it is as large as you say.
At this size, it will have almost certainly spread.
- - - 
If you type in "pancreatic cancer" on Google or any search engine 
there is a great deal of information easy to find.
Wiki is a good place to start http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancreatic_cancers
- - -
Addendum
I am getting third hand information while you are getting second hand information 
from the patient.  Best advice - go with her when she sees her doctors and get the 
straight scoop - correct info.   I just can't believe a 24 cm pancreatic cancer.
Maybe JLI will see this.  He is a pathologist MD.  He made diagnoses.
I provided the treatment.

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Pancreatic Cancer mass is 24cm?

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