The pancreas is an important organ in the abdomen. It makes some digestive enzymes and controls insulin levels, which is the hormone that manages blood glucose levels. Pancreatic cancer starts when some pancreas cells begin to grow and develop abnormally.
Pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed in men over 40 and makes up 2% of all cancer cases. It can be hard to spot early because it usually has few or no symptoms.
In this article, we'll cover pancreatic cancer symptoms, causes, how it's diagnosed, its stages, and treatment options.
Pancreatic cancer symptoms
Pancreatic cancer is one of the cancers that often shows no symptoms or signs. That’s why it’s usually hard to cure since it’s not diagnosed early. But as the cancer grows and spreads to other body parts, you might start to notice changes in other systems.
Early symptoms of pancreatic cancer include:-
Unfortunately, pancreatic cancer can grow silently for many years without signs or symptoms. So, there are no early signs or symptoms for this cancer. By the time most symptoms appear, the cancer has already developed and spread to other parts of the body.
The most common symptoms of pancreatic cancer are digestive problems and abdominal pain, along with yellowing of the skin and eyes or jaundice.
Advanced symptoms of pancreatic cancer include:-
About 70% to 80% of people with pancreatic cancer suffer from pain in the upper abdomen and stomach. This pain can also spread to the sides of the body and back. Staying still or leaning forward can sometimes help reduce the pain a bit.
Some other symptoms can also include:-
- Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice).
- Bile duct obstruction.
- Nausea.
- Loss of appetite.
- Indigestion.
- Depression.
- Fatigue.
- Unexplained weight loss.
Causes of pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer happens when the pancreas cells grow and develop abnormally. Genetic mutations affect how cancer cells grow and spread. These mutations can happen naturally over a person’s life or be inherited from family.
About 10% of pancreatic cancer cases are hereditary and linked to genetic changes passed down in families. So, if someone has a family history of pancreatic cancer, they might have a higher risk and should get early screenings, especially since most pancreatic cancers don't show signs or symptoms early on.
Also, smoking is a cause of pancreatic cancer. Smokers are 2.2 times more likely to get pancreatic cancer than non-smokers.
Besides that, genetic changes causing pancreatic cancer likely happen due to high inflammation levels throughout the body, which can be from certain medical conditions or lifestyle habits. There are some other factors that increase the chances of pancreatic cancer, including:
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Getting older.
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Smoking.
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Being overweight.
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Drinking alcohol.
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Diabetes.
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Family history of pancreatic cancer.
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Chronic pancreatitis.
Stages of pancreatic cancer
As pancreatic cancer cells keep growing and changing, the cancer goes through different stages. The higher the stage, the more the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. The stage also affects the best treatment options.
The stages of pancreatic cancer can be described in five steps as follows:
- Stage zero: Abnormal cells are found in the lining of the pancreas, which might turn into cancer cells.
- Stage One:- Cancer is found in the pancreas as a tumor 2 cm or smaller.
- Stage Two:- Pancreatic cancer has spread to nearby areas including close tissues and organs, like the bile duct.
- Stage Three:- Pancreatic cancer has spread to the main blood vessels but not to far away areas.
- Stage Four:- Pancreatic cancer spreads to distant areas like the liver, lungs, and the lining of the belly cavity.
Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis
Pancreatic cancer can be diagnosed through several tests that check the pancreas structure and function. Diagnosis involves different tests and procedures, which include:-
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CT scan.
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MRI scan.
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Biopsy test.
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ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography).
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Ultrasound.
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Laboratory blood tests.
Pancreatic cancer treatment
Pancreatic cancer treatment depends on the cancer stage diagnosed, andTreatment options may include the following:-
1. Surgery
Surgical removal of the pancreatic tumor is the most effective treatment if pancreatic cancer is caught early enough before it spreads, but it's often diagnosed after spreading. So, only 15% to 20% of people qualify for surgery.
Unfortunately, pancreatic cancer can come back in up to 71% of patients even after the tumor is removed. Also, in advanced stages with spread to distant areas, surgery becomes very risky or ineffective.
2. Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy involves exposing the body areas with cancer cells to high-energy rays. These radiation beams are strong enough to destroy the cancer cells' DNA, killing them and stopping them from dividing. Radiation therapy is often used with chemotherapy to treat cancer.
3. Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses strong drugs to kill fast-growing cancer cells. It often works best for people with advanced pancreatic cancer. Chemo is also given after surgery to kill any cancer cells left behind.
4. Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is a kind of treatment that uses biological drugs to boost the immune system to fight cancer. These drugs improve the immune cells’ function so they can better target cancer cells and stop or slow their growth.
5. Targeted therapy
Targeted therapy uses drugs that go after the genes causing cancer cells to form and divide. Current research is working on drugs that target these gene mutations to stop abnormal cell activity and slow cancer growth and progression.
How to prevent pancreatic cancer
Since pancreatic cancer is linked to genetic changes that mostly develop over a person's life, living a healthy lifestyle is important to prevent it.
Also, managing weight and blood sugar by eating healthy, exercising, and quitting alcohol are effective ways to prevent cancer in general and pancreatic cancer in particular.
