Mayo Clinic - Bakery treats shared with her family: Ning Chien savors this simple pleasure because she has been freed from a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

Ning had a condition that mimics pancreatic cancer. She had abdominal pain and she lost weight. A CT scan showed masses on her pancreas with potential spread to her liver. Things looked grim.

"My mom is the rock of our family, like most mothers are, and we couldn't imagine not having her with us," said Ming Sun, Ning's daughter.

Ning's hometown doctor told her to get her things in order, as the suspected cancer would likely take her within months. She faced major surgery to confirm that diagnosis, but Ning and her family wanted a second opinion.

"In my heart I was not convinced," she said.

Grasping for hope, for a chance at life, Ning went to Mayo Clinic where she met Dr. Santhi Vege.

"I told the patient and the doctor while this looks like pancreatic cancer with spread to the liver as you have been told, there is a small possibility that this could be autoimmune pancreatitis, in which case we would be thrilled," Vege said.

Autoimmune pancreatitis is a rare, but benign condition caused by your immune system attacking the pancreas. It can cause masses that look like cancer.

A tissue biopsy and specialized blood tests confirmed that Ning did not have cancer, but autoimmune pancreatitis. Ning's daughter says, after weeks of preparing for the worst, they were stunned when they heard the news.

"We must have had very blank expressions because Dr. Vege said, 'I think I would be a little happier than what you seem,' " Ming said.

Autoimmune pancreatitis is relatively rare. Ning said she was cured, but the disease sometimes flares up and in that case she'll need additional medication.

For more information on this condition and pancreatic cancer, visit the Mayo Clinic Web site at www.mayoclinic.org/medical-edge.

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