Pancreatic Cancer

Overview

The pancreas, a gland within the body, produces hormones such as insulin and glucagon to control blood sugar and digestive enzymes. Pancreatic cancer develops within the tissue of your pancreas and can spread if undetected in the early stages, making it a leading cause of cancer deaths. Symptoms and warning signs of pancreatic cancer does not appear in the initial stages. At the advanced stage, there is no option for surgical removal and so it leads to difficult treatments and creates a challenging prognosis.

Types

Although there are other illnesses that can affect the pancreas, there are only two types of pancreatic cancer. They are adenocarcinoma and endocrine cancer.

• Adenocarcinoma: Cancer which forms in the pancreas ducts, also known as exocrine tumors. This type of pancreatic cancer attacks the cells that line the ducts of your pancreas and they help to produce digestive fluids. This type of cancer is the most aggressive of all cancers.
• Endocrine Cancer: It attacks the hormone-producing cells of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer is the exocrine tumors.

Symptoms

The pancreatic cancer is a silent killer; a disease that shows no symptoms in the early stages. Advanced symptoms can include weight loss, depression, loss of appetite, yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (this is known as jaundice) and upper abdominal pain that can radiate around to the back. Diarrhea or fatty bowel movements, which float in water, is also a common symptom of pancreatic cancer.

Causes/Risk Factors

The main cause of pancreatic cancer is the abnormal growth rate of genetic mutations that are created by the pancreas. Some of the risk factors for pancreatic cancer are smoking, overweight, family history of pancreatic cancer, older age (many people who are diagnosed are in their 70s and 80s), family history of pancreatitis and genetic syndromes such as Peutz-Jeghers syndrome. Chronic pancreatitis that leads to inflammation of the pancreas, usually from excessive alcohol intake or gallstones, is also a major risk for pancreatic cancer.

Tests/Diagnosis

There are many different types of tests that can help to determine or diagnosis pancreatic cancer. These tests include computerized tomography (known as CT) scan, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (known as MRI), endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (known as ECRP), endoscopic ultrasound (known as EU), percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (known as PTC) and a biopsy. To diagnose pancreatic cancer, the suspected person has to undergo the above tests.

Treatment

The treatment options offered for the pancreatic cancer depend on the extent of the tumor, type, size and the patient's age and general health. The respective treatment options include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted drug therapy and clinical trials. There are also alternative natural therapies available such as yoga, herbal remedies, acupuncture, meditation, relaxation techniques, massage and more. If you are receiving a traditional treatment from a doctor, you should not abruptly switch to alternative therapies without first having the pros and cons explained to you by both a doctor and a certified practitioner of alternative therapies.