UCLA HEALTH: Samara Rahman, 74, considers herself lucky. She gets to take walks on the beach, go swimming and ride her bike — all things that were taken from her when she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in November of 2022. Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States and is one of the most difficult cancers to treat since it’s often diagnosed at advanced stages and can spread quickly to other parts of the body.