Pancreatic+Cancer

Peter Wirth


 * Statistics:**
 * 95% of patients die within 5 years.
 * 80% of patients cannot undergo surgery at the time of diagnosis because the cancer has spread too much.
 * It is estimated that 44,030 people in the US were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and 37,660 people died of it (2011)
 * The median age at diagnosis is 72 and the median age at death due to pancreatic cancer is 73.

Stage I: Cancer is confined to the pancreas. Stage II: Cancer has spread beyond the pancreas to nearby tissues and organs and may have spread to the lymph nodes. Stage III: Cancer has spread beyond the pancreas to the major blood vessels around the pancreas and may have spread to the lymph nodes. Stage IV: Cancer has spread to distant sites beyond the pancreas, such as the liver, lungs and the lining that surrounds your abdominal organs (peritoneum). Adenocarcinoma: cancer of the pancreatic ducts that produce digestive juices. Accounts for majority of pancreatic cancer. Sometimes called exocrine tumors. Endocrine Cancer: Cancer that forms in the hormone-producing cells. Very rare in the pancreas.
 * Facts:**
 * Risk factors include obesity, diabetes, inflammation of the pancreas, old age, being African-American, smoking, family history, and a BRCA2 mutation.
 * Cancer comes in 4 stages:
 * [[image:http://www.drugs-expert.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Pancreatic-Cancer2.jpg align="right"]]Types of pancreatic cancer include:


 * Diagnosis:**
 * An ultrasound, CT Scan, MRI, and several other tools can be used to diagnose pancreatic cancer. Some other methods have the following in common: injecting dye, using an imaging device, and an endoscope.
 * Biopsy using a needle (fine-needle aspiration) may be used to diagnose.
 * Blood test for protein CA19-9 which, at elevated levels, reveals stage of cancer.


 * Treatment:**
 * Since pancreatic cancer is not usually found until it is very advanced, surgery is not a common option.
 * If the cancer is operable, a pancreaticoduodenectomy, or Whipple procedure, is performed.
 * If the cancer has not metastasized, chemotherapy and radiation are common treatments.
 * If the cancer has metastasized, chemotherapy is usually the only treatment used.
 * With all advanced pancreatic cancers, palliative care is very important.


 * Symptoms:**
 * Upper abdominal pain that can radiate to the back.
 * Yellowing of skin and eyes (jaundice)
 * Loss of appetite
 * Weight loss
 * Depression
 * Blood Clots
 * Fatigue and weakness
 * Diarrhea


 * Risk Reduction:**
 * Do not smoke[[image:http://cancer-symptoms.us/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/pancreatic.jpg height="350" align="right"]]
 * Maintain healthy weight
 * Choose healthy diet
 * Exercise regularly

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