Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer starts in your pancreas, an organ that makes digestive juices and hormones, including insulin. There are two main types of pancreatic cancers—those that start in the exocrine gland and those that start in the endocrine cells. Pancreatic cancer is a rare, but deadly disease. Treatment options include chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, or a mix of these.
Understanding Pancreatic Cancer
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The Whipple Procedure from Start to Finish
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Frequently Asked Questions
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What causes pancreatic cancer?
The causes of pancreatic cancer are unclear, but risk factors may include having a family history of pancreatic cancer or genetic syndromes linked to pancreatic cancer, diabetes, advanced gum disease, pancreatitis (chronic inflammation of the pancreas), obesity, smoking, or heavy alcohol use. Risk also increases with age and almost all people are diagnosed after age 45.
Learn More: Causes and Risk Factors of Pancreatic Cancer -
What are the signs of pancreatic cancer?
Symptoms may include painless jaundice, upper abdominal pain that radiates to the back, a hard lump in the upper abdomen, and the unexpected onset of diabetes. It can also include weight loss, loss of appetite, and sometimes depression.
Learn More: Symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer -
Is pancreatic cancer curable?
For early-stage cancers, surgery offers a chance to cure the disease. Unfortunately, only approximately 15% to 20% of people are candidates for surgery (for the remainder, the cancer has spread too far for surgery to improve survival).
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Is pancreatic cancer hereditary?
Familial risk accounts for 5 to 10% of pancreatic cancers, and inherited genetic syndromes account for 3 to 5%. Those with a first-degree family history of pancreatic cancer or genetic diseases and mutations, such as hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome caused by BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (polyps form in intestines), and hereditary pancreatitis, are considered high risk.
Learn More: Causes and Risk Factors of Pancreatic Cancer
The Stages of Pancreatic Cancer
Explore interactive models that show how pancreatic cancer can progress in the body, and what changes each stage of the condition refers to.
Key Terms
- Adenocarcinoma
A cancer that begins in glandular (secretory) cells. Glandular cells are in tissues that line certain internal organs and produce and release substances. Most pancreatic cancers and other common cancers like breast, lung, prostate, and colon are adenocarcinomas.
- Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses medications to treat cancer. These drugs can interfere with rapid cell division and reduce the size of tumors. Chemotherapy agents may be injected or taken orally. Common side effects may include hair loss, bone marrow suppression, and nausea.
- Jaundice
Jaundice is when there is a high level of bilirubin, a reddish-yellow pigment, in the blood that causes the skin, mucous membranes, and whites of the eyes to turn yellow. In pancreatic cancer, high bilirubin levels occur when the bile duct is blocked by the tumor.
- Pancreatectomy
A removal of part or all of the pancreas. If performed for pancreatic cancer, it can be done to remove all of the cancer or it may be a form of palliative care to try to reduce symptoms and prevent complications.
- Radiation
Radiation (also called radiotherapy) is a cancer treatment that uses high doses of radiation to destroy cancer cells or shrink cancer tissues. Radiation may be given as external beam radiation therapy in which radiation is delivered to a targeted part of the body from the outside, or via internal radiation therapy in which radioactive material is injected or implanted into the body.
- Whipple Procedure
The Whipple procedure (pancreaticoduodenectomy) is a common procedure for pancreatic cancer that hasn’t spread to other areas of the body. It is several procedures done in one operation and involves removal of parts of the pancreas (head of the pancreas), duodenum, common bile duct, gallbladder, adjacent lymph nodes, and sometimes part of the stomach.
Explore Pancreatic Cancer
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