Hidden beneath pain: From kidney stone to cancer detection

What began as a trip to urgent care for Sofia Patel became a life-altering discovery she never could’ve imagined.

A piercing pain in her abdomen from a kidney stone sent Patel to her nearest urgent care, where the stone passed while she waited to be seen. Later, Sofia followed up with her primary care doctor to ensure there were no other kidney stones. However, a CT scan revealed an unanticipated discovery.

There was a mass on Sofia’s pancreas.

To determine if the mass was cancerous, Sofia had an endoscopic biopsy performed by Dr. Joshua Penfield, a Sharp Rees-Stealy board-certified gastroenterologist affiliated with Sharp Memorial Hospital. The results showed Sofia had Stage 1 pancreatic cancer.

Sofia had a 2.2-centimeter tumor located at the head of her pancreas. Her doctor explained that the tumor was the cause of the back pain that had been bothering her for months, as it was pressing on a nerve.

“I was in shock — I didn’t believe the doctor,” says Sofia. “I told him I felt fine.”

What’s more, Sofia says she lived a very active and healthy lifestyle before her diagnosis. She had no symptoms that led her to think something was wrong. And Sofia has no family history of pancreatic cancer.

Fighting cancer head-on

Under the guidance of Dr. Ann Moeller, an oncologist with Sharp Rees-Stealy affiliated with Sharp Memorial Hospital, Sofia immediately started a series of six chemotherapy treatments.

After the treatments, it was determined that her tumor had shrunk to 1.9 centimeters. The tumor no longer touched a nerve, which previously caused her back pain.

Sofia also became a good candidate for the Whipple procedure, a complex surgery that removes the head of the pancreas, the first part of the small intestine, the gallbladder and part of the bile duct. The small intestine is then reconnected to the remainder of the pancreas, stomach and bile duct.

“Eighty percent of patients with pancreatic cancer are not candidates for surgery,” says Dr. Allan Gamagami, a Sharp Rees-Stealy board-certified surgeon affiliated with Sharp Memorial Hospital. Dr. Gamagami performed the surgery in November 2023, removing Sofia’s tumor.

Dr. Gamagami explains that pancreatic cancer is rarely found at its earliest stages, when the chance of curing it through surgery is greatest. Symptoms are usually not present until the cancer is in an advanced stage and has spread to other organs.

After a week of recovery in the hospital, Sofia went home. Dr. Gamagami assured her that everything looked good.

Three months after surgery, Sofia would have a second series of chemotherapy treatments to ensure no cancer remained.

Returning to normalcy

Sofia says the results of her last CT scan in September 2024 were normal. She is traveling again and slowly starting an exercise regimen to regain body strength. What’s more, she says her mental strength is still intact.

“Through all of this, I’ve never experienced sadness,” says Sofia. “I’ve always advocated for my health and will continue to do so.”

Learn more about Cancer Centers of Sharp HealthCare; get the latest health and wellness news, trends and patient stories from Sharp Health News; and subscribe to our weekly newsletter by clicking the "Sign up" link below.