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Pancreatic Cancer
Overview of Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer, also commonly called pancreas cancer, is a relatively rare disorder and only accounts for around 7000 newly diagnosed cancer cases each year. Unfortunately because the early stages of pancreatic cancer don’t cause the sufferer to feel any physical symptoms, it is often fatal and is one of the 10 most common causes of death from cancer in both the UK and America. In fact, fewer than 1 in 50 people survive for more than 5 years following their diagnosis and even with surgery only 1 in 10 survives for this period of time. Most people with end stage pancreatic cancer survive less than a year.
Risk Factors for Pancreatic Cancer
The exact pancreatic cancer causes are not as yet known however there are a number of risk factors that make a person more susceptible to the disease. These include:
- Diet – high fat diets have been linked to the development of pancreatic cancer.
- High alcohol consumption.
- Ethnicity – cancer of the pancreas has been found to be more prevalent in the black population and this suggests that there is a genetic factor involved.
- Cigarette smoking and other forms of nicotine inhalation.
- The presence of chronic pancreatitis i.e. long term inflammation of the pancreas.
- Age – this form of cancer is much more prevalent in the over 50s.
- Gender – pancreatic cancer is nearly twice as common in males as females.
Signs and Symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer
The symptoms of pancreatic cancer often develop gradually over a few months and may include:
- Pain in the upper abdomen that radiates to the back.
- Reduced appetite.
- Loss of weight.
Many pancreatic tumours cause obstruction of the bile ducts and this causes jaundice in which the skin and the whites if the eyes turn yellow. This may be accompanied by itching, dark-coloured urine and pale stools.
Unfortunately pancreatic cancer symptoms tend to stay hidden until the disorder reaches an advanced stage and often until the cancer has spread to other areas of the body, typically the lymph nodes in the abdomen and the liver. It is only now that obvious physical symptoms occur and the sufferer consults a doctor.
Treatment for Pancreatic Cancer
Surgery to remove a section of or indeed the entire pancreas offers the only chance of cure. However in many cases the cancer has already spread by the time of diagnosis and so surgery will only then relieve the symptoms of the disease and diminish any pancreas pain. For example, when the tumour is obstructing the bile ducts a stent can be inserted which keep the ducts open, thereby reducing the degree of jaundice.
Other treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy very rarely cure pancreatic cancer however they can be used to slow the progression of the disease and give the sufferer more time. Pain is normally controlled with a pain killer however severe pain can be treated with a nerve block in which a chemical injection inactivates the nerves that supply the pancreas.
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