Larry S. Baker (seated) is shown with his daughter, Marjorie Costello; his son, Larry N. Baker; and his wife, Tamera.
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Contact: Elizabeth Allen, 210-450-2020

By Will Sansom

SAN ANTONIO (Feb. 22, 2011) — When Larry Baker, a 68-year-old Texas businessman, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a year ago, the doctor who broke the news was taken aback that Baker was not more upset. But Baker, a man of strong Christian faith, tends to remain optimistic no matter the circumstances, and it turned out he had cause for hope after all.

After a highly regarded surgeon took a look at the cancer and said no to operating, Baker turned to the Cancer Therapy and Research Center (CTRC) at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio. He sought a second opinion from Deva Mahalingam, M.D., Ph.D., medical oncologist and assistant professor in the School of Medicine.

Integrated approach
Baker’s case was discussed at length by the multidisciplinary pancreatic tumor board at the CTRC and, following consensus by a panel of experts, including medical and radiation oncologists, radiologists and pancreatic surgeons, Kenneth Washburn, M.D., professor in the School of Medicine and the University Transplant Center, moved forward with Baker’s surgery. The University Transplant Center is a partnership of University Health System and the UT Health Science Center.

Dr. Washburn has a great deal of experience doing the Whipple procedure, which removes tumors on the head or bile duct of the pancreas, or on the duodenum of the small intestine. Baker’s tumor was on the head of the pancreas.

On May 25, 2010, Dr. Washburn and fellow surgeon Jose Almeda, M.D., performed the Whipple procedure and afterward told Baker’s wife, “We got it.” Of the 25 lymph nodes removed, only two were cancerous. “That gave me a good chance to beat this thing,” Baker said.

Following surgery, Baker received chemotherapy and radiation coordinated by Dr. Mahalingam. His chemotherapy ended in January and a recent follow-up CT scan at the CTRC — a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center — showed that he is disease-free.

“I couldn’t be happier with the CTRC team,” Baker said. “The cancer was Level 4 and I didn’t have very long. The CTRC people were very practical. They said we can do these things and give it a shot. It was my choice. I’m not a guy who sits around and lets things just happen. I am willing to take a chance and work with people to succeed at things. My attitude was that this was a contest and I was going to compete to win.”

Baker is chief executive officer for Disability Services of the Southwest, a company that provides care primarily for special needs children and adults to keep them at home rather than in an institution. Operating from headquarters in San Antonio, the company has 10 offices statewide with 7,000 employees. “It’s a calling,” he said.

Baker recently spoke at his church about the difference between the words “victim” and “victor.” Cancer patients must choose which they are going to be, he said. With the help of the team at CTRC, he is living as a victor over a deadly cancer.

Advocate for a second opinion
Pancreatic cancer has always been a difficult diagnosis with poor prospects for survival. Many tumors are routinely deemed inoperable. However, physicians at the CTRC are tackling many of these hard-to-treat cancers.

“Always advocate for a second opinion, no matter where you are,” said Dr. Almeda, assistant professor in the School of Medicine and the University Transplant Center. “We have operated and saved the lives of people who were going to die. Early detection and aggressive surgery are the keys.”

The CTRC has South Texas’ only multidisciplinary pancreatic center for pancreatic disorders and pancreatic cancer. The pancreas is technically challenging, but combining the talents of pancreatic surgeons Dr. Washburn, Dr. Almeda and Glenn Halff, M.D., professor and director of the University Transplant Center, and the talents of CTRC physicians such as Dr. Mahalingam gives the patient the best opportunity and hope.

After the multidisciplinary team of specialists evaluates pancreatic cancer cases that are referred to the CTRC, the highly experienced surgical team offers blood vessel reconstruction for pancreatic tumors previously categorized as inoperable. “The outcomes of these operations parallel or exceed those of tumors that do not involve blood vessels, so the benefit to the patients is tremendous,” Dr. Almeda said.

He urges patients to see their physician if they experience weight loss and/or abdominal pain.

Although the team cannot operate on every pancreatic tumor, there are success stories, such as Larry Baker’s.

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The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, one of the country’s leading health sciences universities, ranks in the top 3 percent of all institutions worldwide receiving U.S. federal funding. Research and other sponsored program activity totaled $228 million in fiscal year 2010. The university’s schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health professions and graduate biomedical sciences have produced approximately 26,000 graduates. The $744 million operating budget supports eight campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. For more information on the many ways “We make lives better®,” visit www.uthscsa.edu.