Pancreatic cancer spreads very fast and it is difficult to spot it, therefore, it is a major cause of death among cancer illnesses. It is a cancer that spreads very rapidly to other parts and organs of the body, making surgical intervention useless in protecting the patient from death.

How does cancer develop in your pancreas? Most tumors form in the cells that produce digestive enzymes. These tumors that are called adenocarcinomas account for nearly 95% of cancer pancreatic.

Endocrine tumors that form in the islet cells are less common. Upon existence, they produce too much hormone. Very serious are the ampullary cancers that form in the ampulla of Vater, it is where your bile and pancreatic ducts are emptied into your small intestine. These tumors when blocking the bile duct, lead to jaundice.

The developing of pancreatic cancer happens when the DNA is damaged, and the growth and division of healthy cells becomes uncontrolled. Thus, a tumor is formed which is a formation of malignant cells.

A small number of people develop this cancer due to genetic predisposition. In 90% of the cases environmental factors, lifestyle, smoking, diet, and chemical exposure lead to the formation of cancer.

According to surveys, black men and women are at higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer, being overweight and working with petroleum compounds also play a risk factor.

How do you suspect that you may have developed cancer in your pancreas? First of all, you lose your appetite, develop sharp abdominal pain, suddenly lose weight, and have jaundice, yellowing of the skin. It is important to mention Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium that infect your mucus and your stomach. In many cases it is asymptomatic.

Courvoisier’s law predicts that jaundice and a painless gallbladder that is distended are together indicative of pancreatic cancer. This cancer can be spotted while carrying out liver function tests, along with ultrasound and abdominal CT examinations. Endoscopic ultrasound is a painful, but effective way of spotting the tumor.

Patients having cancer in their pancreas have a poor prognosis due to the cancer not causing evident symptoms in the early stage. Mortality is around 99% in the United States, ranking cancer pancreatic as the number one fatal cancer in America.

This cancer may result in diabetes which turns out to be a life-long illness exposing the patient at discomfort and high risk of death if not treated properly. The American Cancer Society promotes high consumption of vegetables and fruits and lower consumption of red meat. Like with all other cancers, smoking proves a major factor in developing this cancer as well.

Prevention of cancer is vital. Long-term examinations have proved that taking vitamin D helps in decreasing the risk of cancer with 50%. Lately, younger generations have been affected, however, these patients have responded well to treatment in the UK, for example. There is hope for better treatment and diagnosis, these cases have proved the general statistics wrong. For further details, please consult the Pancreatic Cancer UK organization.

The pancreas is an organ involved in endocrine functions, such as the secretion of insulin and exocrine functions, such as the secretion of insulin and exocrine functions, such as the secretion of enzymes involved in digestion. It is located underneath the stomach and liver and adjacent to the duodenum (the first section of the small intestine).

Causes: The cause of this cancer remains unknown. The most established risk factor for the development of this cancer is cigarette smoking. Other less common risk factors are:

• A high fat diet

• Diabetes

• Chronic pancreatitis, generally related to high alcohol intake

• Workers in contact with organic chemicals

Symptoms: when the cancer originates in the head of the pancreas, which is the closest area to the duodenum, patients suffer from jaundice and generalized itching. If, on the other hand, the tumor originates in the area of the tail of the pancreas, which is furthest from the duodenum, the tumor can grow to larger sizes before causing symptoms. This condition can result in the obstruction of bile excretion leading to the development of

• Jaundice

• Pale-colored stools

• Generalized itching

• Abdominal pain

• Weight loss

• A palpable mass.

Many patients with pancreatic cancer also have symptoms of cancer that has spread to other organs.

Diagnosis: Cancer of the pancreas can be easily seen with computed tomography or ultrasound of the abdomen. The diagnosis needs to be confirmed by obtaining a biopsy.

Complications: Complications arise from the spread (metastasis) of the cancer to other organs or from the physical size of the tumor causing obstruction of the bile duct or other internal structures.

Treatment:

Self Treatment: An overall healthy lifestyle with a well balanced diet is essential to maintain general health during the treatment for pancreatic cancer.

Medical Treatment: Although treatment with chemotherapy has not been very encouraging, promising new chemotherapy agents are always being investigated. Combinations of treatment with chemotherapy and radiation therapy may help control symptoms in some cases of advanced cancer. Surgical Treatment: Removal of the tumor offers the only chance for cure of this type of cancer. Unfortunately, only about 15 percent of patients can have their tumor fully removed. The rest of the patients have cancers that have grown too extensive to remove completely.

Cause of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is again one of those that happen to older people (generally those above the age of 60). Chronic pancreatitis, which is caused by consumption of large amounts of alcohol, can act as a predecessor of pancreatic cancer. Some people tend to associate pancreatic cancer to genes and family history but there doesn’t seem any concrete evidence to suggest one or the other. Generally speaking, pancreatic cancer doesn’t seem to have a relation to family history.

Symptoms and diagnosis of pancreatic cancer

Again, none of the symptoms of pancreatic cancer are such so as to give confirmatory indications of pancreatic cancer. Pain in the abdomen, tiredness and loss of appetite are said to be symptoms of pancreatic cancer but these can really be caused by so many other things that it might not even occur to you that this could be caused by pancreatic cancer. However, if you are skeptical and want to make sure that everything is ok, you can always consult a qualified doctor to vet out your fears. Jaundice is another symptom of pancreatic cancer but this too can be caused by other things. So, really, it comes to proper tests and diagnosis to detect pancreatic cancer. The doctors would generally go for a urine test (for bile) and a blood test as the first screening tests for pancreatic cancer. In case these tests suggest pancreatic cancer, there could be need for x-rays and other tests (as deemed fit by the doctor).

Treatment of pancreatic cancer

As is the case with any type of cancer, the chances of survival with pancreatic cancer is governed by how early you are able to catch the symptoms and diagnose pancreatic cancer. The treatment for pancreatic cancer is dependent on the size of the cancer, the stage of cancer and your general health. A major consideration is the size of the cancer and whether it has spread around or is localized. For pancreatic cancer too, the best treatment is removal of the cancer through surgical procedure (and it’s a major surgery). Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are other ways of treating pancreatic cancer.