Pancreatic Cancer Signs

A malignant tumor in the pancreas is called pancreatic cancer. 95% of pancreatic tumors are diagnosed as Adenocarcinomas, the rest of them are tumors like acinar cell cancers, exocrine pancreas tumor, neuroendocrine tumors. About 30,000 people in the United States die with this disease each year and 60,000 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in Europe.

The pancreatic cancer awareness month is November and the color Purple has been chosen for pancreatic cancer awareness. The National Cancer Institute spends more than $50 million dollars a year for research into the study of pancreatic cancer.

Early stages of pancreatic cancer are very difficult to diagnose, that is why it is commonly known as the ‘silent disease’.

Common symptoms of pancreatic cancer are as follows:

- Pain in upper abdomen which later transfer to the back
- Nausea, appetite loss
- Weight loss
- Jaundice (painless)

Some of the risk factors and lifestyle choices that may cause pancreatic cancer are old age, smoking, obesity, low vegetable diet, high red meat diet, alcohol and genetic factors.

The stage of cancer development decides the treatment mode. The most common surgical treatment for cancer is the Whipple procedure. The Whipple procedure is undergone on pancreatic cancers which involve the pancreas head. This procedure can be performed in cases where the local structures are not invaded. For the tumor which involves the pancreatic tail, a new procedure called Distal Pancreatectomy is done. Even after the surgery is performed there will be some remains of the tumor tissues which can be eliminated by means of chemotherapy with gemcitabine.

For those patients who are not suitable for curative intent resection, Palliative chemotherapy is used to help gain a survival benefit. Gemcitabine is administered on a weekly basis for all patients undergoing chemotherapy. Fluorouracil and Oxaliplatin may also be included in the treatment but they are not approved yet. Erlotinib is used in combination with gemcitabine for pancreatic cancer treatment as a palliative regimen. It helps in improving the tumor response, the survival rate.

There is no guidelines to prevent pancreatic cancer says the American Cancer Society. 20-30% of the cancer is caused by cigarette smoking. So it is recommended to keep a healthy weight and by increasing the consumption of grains and vegetable in your diet. There is no proof that red meat can cause pancreatic cancer, but it is advised to avoid the intake of red meat in large amount. A study conducted in September 2006 concludes that the risk of pancreatic cancer can be reduced by vitamin D. Studies in July 2007 proved that vitamin B also can help in the reducing the risk factors of pancreatic cancer.