Pancreatic Cancer: What are the symptoms of pancreatic cancer | causes, and treatment of cancer

Pancreatic cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer death in the United States. and the question of what are the symptoms of pancreatic cancer can not have a specific symptoms , making early diagnosis difficult.

Any part of the pancreas as a glandular organ and its ducts can be the starting point for neoplastic growth. Modern medicine, however, does not know the causes and possibilities of its formation. Pancreatic cancer may be asymptomatic for a long time. Cancer symptoms largely depend on the location of the neoplastic focus.

The incidence of pancreatic cancer increases with age. The high mortality rate of patients with pancreatic cancer is due to the fact that the disease is usually detected at a very advanced stage, when metastases are already present and the pancreatic tumor is inoperable.

• Pancreatic cancer is more common in men than in women, but the definitive and unequivocal cause of pancreatic cancer has not been established.
• The risk of the disease increases with the patient’s age, and it is additionally favored by diabetes, eating large amounts of animal fats, carbohydrates and meat, smoking
• The symptoms of pancreatic cancer are very much dependent on the location of the tumor. What ailments may arise?

What is pancreatic cancer?

Pancreatic cancer is a type of cancer that is very difficult to treat. It is a very rare cancer, but if it does occur – the patient’s chances of survival are slim. The risk of developing this type of cancer increases with age, and each part of the pancreas can be the starting point for neoplastic growth.

The disease does not give any symptoms for a long time, and when they do appear – it is often too late for treatment because the tumor is at an advanced stage and metastasized. The symptoms of this disease depend on the size and location of the tumor. Pancreatic cancer has a very poor prognosis. At the moment, the only method of treatment is surgery, which should be performed at an early stage of the disease (unfortunately, the onset of the disease is very easy to miss).

what is the cause of pancreatic cancer

According to the research, pancreatic cancer is more common in men than in women, but the definitive and unequivocal cause of pancreatic cancer has not been established. It is known, however, that the risk of the disease increases with the age of the patient. There are certain factors and conditions that can contribute to the formation of pancreatic cancer, including:

1. chronic pancreatitis,
2. diabetes _
3. untreated or poorly treated ulcers (a complication is gastric acid acidity),
4. smoking (the nitrosamines contained in the smoke have a negative effect),
5. excessive consumption of high-percentage alcohol (especially in combination with cigarettes),
6. diet – pancreatic cancer is favored by the consumption of large amounts of animal fats, carbohydrates and meat (the diet should contain large amounts of fiber and vitamin C and fish),
7. environment pollution,
8. contact with pesticides, benzidine and methylene chlorides.

In addition, the inheritance of the tumor plays an important role . Pancreatic cancer is believed to be an acquired disease caused by a gene mutation (there are four genes involved in the process of cancer development). Mutant genes lead to the uncontrolled multiplication of cells, while losing their repair function for damaged DNA fragments. The detection of defective genes in a given patient allows for the implementation of appropriate procedures and diagnostics.

what are the symptoms of pancreatic cancer – the signs of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer symptoms

At first, pancreatic cancer shows no symptoms and develops very insidiously.

The symptoms of pancreatic cancer are very much dependent on the location of the tumor. Lesions (neoplastic lesions) attacking the pancreatic section of the common bile duct and obstructing the outflow of bile can cause jaundice .

Jaundice occurs when lesions extend to the pancreatic section of the common bile duct.

In turn, a tumor developing in the tail of the pancreas presses against adjacent nerves and causes sharp pains in the abdomen .

Islanders – active cells of the pancreatic islets, growing in size, lead to disturbances in the carbohydrate metabolism, which are conditioned by unexpected and excessive secretion of blood to insulin. The other, not very specific, symptoms of pancreatic cancer are:

1. lack of appetite
2. nausea _
3. pain ailments,
4. a feeling of splashing in the belly,
5. flatulence _
6. bouncing ,
7. sometimes vomiting
8. glucose intolerance,
9. thrombophlebitis
10. predisposition to diarrhea ,
11. periodic constipation ,
12. gas suspension.

They are usually accompanied by progressive general weakness, emaciation, and quite often a tendency to the so-called migratory (ie, variable in location) blood clots. Sometimes the accumulation of free fluid in the peritoneal cavity and gastrointestinal haemorrhage are associated .

Factors that increase the risk of developing pancreatic cancer include: smoking, diabetes, previous radiation to the pancreas area due to another cancer (e.g., Hodgkin’s disease or testicular cancer), chronic recurrent pancreatitis, and increased BMI (obesity).

Mutations and genetic factors also play a role in the development of a dangerous tumor, which is pancreatic cancer. According to experts, approximately 5-10% of pancreatic cancer patients have a first-degree relative with pancreatic cancer.

Due to the arrangement and origin of cells, pancreatic neoplasms can be divided into:

• ductal cancer of the pancreas
• lobular carcinoma of the pancreas
• endocrine cancer of the pancreas

Pancreatic Cancer – Symptoms of The Disease

• BACK PAIN – the most common symptom is back pain, which is caused by the tumor infiltrating the visceral plexus and retroperitoneum, or pancreatitis. Pain as a symptom of pancreatic cancer is described as intense, piercing and radiating to the middle of the back. Pain can also be located in the epigastrium or right hypochondrium. Back pain is possible.
• Jaundice – Most pancreatic cancer may present with jaundice as a symptom of a disease developing in the body. Jaundice occurs when lesions extend to the pancreatic section of the common bile duct.
• Gastrointestinal complaints – symptoms of pancreatic cancer may be associated with infiltration by the tumor of the duodenum or the pyloric area. In this case, the symptoms of pancreatic cancer will be vomiting and nausea. Changes in the frequency of your stool and fatty stools are possible. These symptoms rarely occur in the early stages of pancreatic cancer. With an advanced pancreatic tumor, bleeding from the upper gastrointestinal tract may occur as a consequence of duodenal infiltration or thrombosis of the portal system and esophageal varices.
• GLUCOSE INTOLERANCE – a newly diagnosed glucose tolerance disorder with accompanying gastrointestinal symptoms should be an alarm signal and a potential symptom prompting a physician to consider the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.
• SIGNIFICANT CHILD BLADE – in the absence of inflammation of the gallbladder or biliary tract, palpable gallbladder suggests obstruction of the common bile duct caused by neoplastic process, unless another cause of this condition is found. This is called Courvoisier’s symptom and occurs in 25% of all pancreatic cancer patients.
• Other less common symptoms of pancreatic cancer include: Trousseau’s syndrome (migratory superficial phlebitis), ascites, Virchow’s node (left supraclavicular lymph node), or a tumor in the navel area (called sister Mary Joseph’s nodules).

PANCREATIC ENDOCRINE TUMOR – SYMPTOMS

Pancreatic endocrine tumors are rare, accounting for only 5% of all pancreatic tumors. The most common of them is insulin-secreting INSULINOMA – most often a small tumor of the endocrine pancreas. The disease is more common in women and usually manifests itself between the ages of 40 and 50. Symptoms of this type of pancreatic cancer are associated with hypoglycaemia, which most often occurs on an empty stomach and after exercise.

There are vegetative symptoms, such as: tachycardia, palpitations, pain in the precordial area, sweating and neurological symptoms (lazy pupil reaction, visual disturbances, epilepsy, depression, confusion).

Diagnosis of insulinoma is often delayed as patients stay in neurological departments due to the neuropsychiatric symptoms of this pancreatic tumor.

Diagnosis of pancreatic cancer

Diagnosis of early-stage pancreatic cancer is still significantly difficult due to the anatomical location of the pancreas and non-specific symptoms. In turn, the advanced stage of pancreatic cancer causes a symptom in the form of its enlargement. The medical history with the patient about the symptoms, addictions and family history is of great importance  A thorough medical history should include the presence of the listed symptoms of pancreatic cancer, smoking, and a family history of cancer. In addition, during the physical examination, the doctor looks for possible symptoms of pancreatic cancer, such as weight loss, jaundice, lymphadenopathy , enlarged lymph nodes or ascites, peripheral edema, and symptoms of a bleeding disorder. There are still no proper laboratory tests that would accelerate the proper diagnosis of the disease, however, in the diagnostic procedure confirming the diagnosis, imaging tests have been used in recent years in the form of:

1. ultrasound examinations,
2. computed tomography (assessment of the extent of the lesion),
3. fine needle biopsy (allowing for a final diagnosis),
4. laparoscopy with biopsy and laparoscopic ultrasound,
5. magnetic resonance imaging.

The aforementioned tests, apart from confirming that we are dealing with pancreatic cancer, also allow to assess the stage of the disease and the condition of other organs (possible metastases). In addition, in diagnostics, it is important to determine tumor markers typical of pancreatic cancer, especially CA19-9, which is elevated in most patients.

Symptoms of pancreatic cancer may be characterized by elevated bilirubin levels and alkaline phosphatase activity.

 Determining the concentration of the tumor marker CA19-9 before pancreatic cancer surgery and during chemotherapy helps to monitor the effectiveness of treatment and helps to recognize disease recurrence.

Radiological diagnostics plays a key role. The diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and Vater’s nipple cancer is made using imaging and endoscopic examinations. Most often, the first examination is an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity. In patients with jaundice, it shows dilatation of the extrahepatic bile ducts and the presence of a pancreatic head tumor.

The name of the reference method has been obtained by spiral computed tomography of the abdominal cavity. Currently, computed tomography is more commonly used to assess the extent of the lesion detected in the pancreas, to determine the stage of the disease and to look for pancreatic cancer metastases. Another helpful test may be an MRI.

The result of the histopathological examination is necessary to make a final diagnosis. A biopsy of the pancreas or changed nodes may be performed during ultrasound endoscopic examination. Histological confirmation is especially important in unresectable patients scheduled for chemotherapy treatment.

Pancreatic cancer – treatment

Almost 80 percent patients with pancreatic cancer come to their doctor too late, then the only thing left is palliative treatment that improves the quality of life and alleviates bothersome symptoms. The type and scope of the surgery depends on the location of the neoplastic focus and the stage of the disease. During the procedures, the nerves of the visceral plexus are destroyed, thanks to which pain is significantly minimized. Another method is to decompress the bile ducts and the gastrointestinal tract by connecting the bile ducts with the intestine. If the procedure is impossible, the patient is given morphine.

During treatment, you should be given frequent meals that are high in calories and protein, but low in fat. In addition, adequate hydration and the administration of pancreatic enzymes are important. In some cases, parenteral nutrition is also necessary.

Pancreatic cancer prevention

Important elements in the prevention of pancreatic cancer are:

1. the use of an appropriate diet rich in skim milk, tomatoes, fruit without peels,
2. quitting tobacco addiction,
3. eating foods prepared in foil, stewed or baked (avoiding fried foods),
4. the earliest possible elimination of inflammations and stones in the pancreas and liver.

FAQ of Pancreatic cancer

what is the cause of pancreatic cancer

Pain in the upper abdomen, which may radiate to the back, is the primary indicator that you are suffering from pancreatitis.