Information on Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer is a disease that affects the tissue of the pancreas, which is the fish-shaped organ that sits in back of the lower portion of the stomach that is responsible for the manufacture and secretion of enzymes and hormones important to digestion. According to American Cancer Society statistics in 2008, some 37,680 people in the United States will receive a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, with 34,290 individuals dying of the ailment. Pancreatic cancer spreads quickly and is rarely detected in its earliest stages-two reasons why it is considered such a deadly form of the disease.
Types of pancreatic cancer
The pancreas itself is about six inches in length and two inches wide. It has two different types of glands known as exocrine glands and endocrine glands. The exocrine gland produces a variety of enzymes that are able to break down proteins and fats in the body. The endocrine cells of the pancreas make hormones such as insulin, which is crucial in keeping the sugar in the bloodstream in balance. Both are subject to pancreatic cancer, but the malady is much more prevalent in the exocrine cells of the pancreas. Cancer that develops in the ducts of the organ is called adenocarcinoma, while cancer of the endocrine glands of the pancreas--endocrine cancer--is extremely rare.
Symptoms
Unfortunately the signs of pancreatic cancer usually do not manifest themselves until the disease has become advanced. The location of the pancreas makes finding tumors on it during check-ups nearly impossible. Some of the warning signs of pancreatic cancer include jaundice. This is a yellowing of the skin and of the eyes in a person, but jaundice can be caused by other ailments such as liver disease. Pain in the upper portion of the abdomen that makes its way around to the back is a symptom of pancreatic cancer--as is weight loss and fatigue along with a lack of appetite. Troubles with the digestive process can result in greasy stools, nausea and vomiting. The gallbladder can become swollen, and some people with pancreatic cancer can develop diabetes.
Those at risk
There are certain factors that seem to have the ability to increase a person's chances of getting pancreatic cancer. While the disease affects men and women at the same rate, it shows up more often in blacks than in white individuals. The American Cancer Society puts the chances of having pancreatic cancer at 1 in 76, with overweight and obese people and those with a family history of the disease at more risk than others. Smokers are also more prone to developing this type of cancer, and the elderly are more at risk than the young, with the majority of cases occurring in people over the age of 70.
Stages
Staging of cancer is a process which describes how advanced the disease is. In cases of Stage I pancreatic cancer, the cancer is limited only to the pancreas. Stage II means that the cancer has spread to the tissues close by to the organ and perhaps even into the lymph nodes in the area. In Stage III pancreatic cancer, the disease has gone into the surrounding main blood vessels near the pancreas, and the disease may also be present in the lymph nodes. Stage IV has seen the cancer go to distant places in the person's body like the lungs and liver.
Treatments
Surgery is an option to treat pancreatic cancer. However, once the disease has made its way to other organs or the lymph system, this usually is not possible. The removal of pancreatic tumors requires taking large portions of the pancreas out along with the diseased parts. Radiation therapy that makes use of powerful X-rays to kill cancer cells and chemotherapy that employs drugs for the same thing are often done together to attempt to deal with pancreatic cancer. Target drug therapy that utilizes specially designed medications to keep cancer cells from reproducing is also a possible treatment. However, the normal outlook for someone diagnosed with pancreatic cancer is very poor.
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