Gary Evans – Neuroendocrine Cancer Patient Story

When Gary Evans woke up with chest pain in March 2016, he thought he was having a heart attack. He immediately drove to the closest hospital near his home in Belle Vernon. There, he was diagnosed with pancreatitis and stayed for one week to recover.

At home, Gary struggled to eat, so he made an appointment with his gastroenterologist. His doctor ordered an endoscopy and found a watery substance, which he biopsied. The doctor also recommended that Gary have his gallbladder removed.

After his gallbladder surgery, Gary could finally eat again. He was getting ready to return to work when his gastroenterologist called with the biopsy results: Gary had a high-grade neuroendocrine tumor in his duodenum — the first part of the small intestine at the head of the pancreas.

Gary was referred to surgical and medical oncologists at a health care system in Pittsburgh, where he underwent a Whipple procedure, the most common surgery to remove tumors of the pancreas and adjacent organs, including the duodenum. Five hours in, however, the surgeon had to stop the procedure because Gary’s veins and arteries were too inflamed from his prior pancreatitis.

Gary began 18 weeks of chemotherapy, and his surgeon planned to attempt the procedure again.

Meanwhile, Gary’s wife Jodi started having heart palpitations and saw her cardiologist. Jodi’s heart was fine, but her doctor asked what could be causing her stress. She explained what happened during Gary’s procedure and her doctor recommended they see the surgical oncologists at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, including Amer H. Zureikat, MD, chief, Surgical Oncology, for a second opinion.

A Second Opinion

Gary and Jodi gathered Gary’s medical records and discs of his testing results and sent them to UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Shadyside. Shortly after, they met with the surgical and medical oncology teams. The surgical team agreed that Gary wasn’t ready for another Whipple yet.

Meanwhile, he started another treatment plan and took chemo pills for the next 18 months. Before undergoing another Whipple procedure, Gary needed a Gallium PET scan to look for remaining cancer cells. In August 2018, he underwent that scan and an endoscopy at UPMC Presbyterian.

“Dr. Zureikat said the surgery was a go. He assured us everything would be fine. We had trust in him,” says Jodi.

On Sept. 25, 2018, Gary returned to UPMC Presbyterian for the Whipple procedure.

“Dr. Zureikat told us it would be a long surgery and that he would keep us updated,” recalls Jodi. “After five hours, I got a call to come to the conference room to meet with him.”

Compassionate Care

Jodi and five members of her family – all wearing T-shirts embellished with the letter “G” in the form of the iconic Superman shield – met with Dr. Zureikat, who Jodi fondly calls the “Superman doctor.” He explained that the surgery went well, and he was able to remove Gary’s tumor without touching his pancreas. Gary recovered in the hospital for one week.

While at home, tubes for draining excess fluid from his stomach weren’t working properly. They were removed, but Gary developed sepsis and was admitted to UPMC Montefiore for further care. He recovered there for one week and needed to take antibiotics for one month while home.

“I received excellent care from the team,” says Gary. “If I ever had a problem, Dr. Zureikat answered the phone right away.”

Gary followed up with Dr. Zureikat two months after his surgery and with his medical oncologist Zahra Rahman Kelly, DO, every six months, along with having a CT scan every six months. As of November 2024, Gary has been six years cancer free, and starting in 2025, he will need only one CT scan annually.

“We refer everyone to see Dr. Zureikat,” adds Jodi, who belongs to a Whipple Surgery Survivor Group on Facebook. “People who live as far away as Buffalo, N.Y., travel to see him.”

Gary’s treatment and results may not be representative of all similar cases.