Pancreatic Cancer

At the early stages, pancreatic cancer usually doesn’t show any symptoms however, symptoms develop gradually by time and include:

Jaundice “Yellowish color of the skin or whites of the eyes”
Weight loss
Light-colored stool
Dark urine
Abdominal pain
Fatigue
Loss of appetite
If you experienced symptoms of pancreatic cancer,

visit your gastroenterologist who may direct you to an oncologist.

Different risk factors may be involved in causing pancreatic cancer such as:

Smoking- 20% of cases are caused by smoking
Age- Older than 55 years
Diabetes
Obesity
Liver cirrhosis
Chronic pancreatitis
Infection by Helicobacter pylori
Occupational exposure to chemicals
Male gender
Family history of pancreatic cancer
Genetic mutations
Dietary habits- High red meat or coffee consumption, and drinking more than two soft drinks per day

Different tests and procedures may be used to diagnose and stage pancreatic cancer such as:



Blood tests: A blood sample is used to measure the amount of specific substances which will help in the diagnosis.



Tumor markers: Blood, urine, or tissue samples are used to measure the amount of certain substances that are made by tumor cells.



Scans: Different types and techniques of scans are used to get pictures of the body to diagnose the disease and know if it has spread to other organs (ex: Computed tomography “CT”, Magnetic resonance imaging “MRI” Positron emission tomography “PET”, and ultrasound).



Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP): An endoscope is used to implant a catheter (a small tube) into the pancreatic ducts. Through the catheter, a dye is injected into the ducts, and then an x-ray is taken. A tiny tube may be put into the duct to unblock it if the tumor has blocked the ducts. Additionally, tissue samples may be obtained.



Laparoscopy: A surgical procedure to examine the abdominal organs and find illness signs.



Biopsy: Taking a small sample of the tissue to be tested.



Staging



Staging pancreatic cancers depend on the size of the tumor and its spread to different organs or lymph nodes. It has stages from zero to 4, with stage 4 being the most severe stage and which indicates the spreading of cancer to different organs.

Pancreatic cancer is a challenging disease to treat. choosing the appropriate treatment depends on the size of the tumor, location, spreading, and the patient's general health.

Treatment options are:

Surgery: It is applied according to the stage of cancer, in early stages, the tumor can be removed with part of the pancreas while in some cases surgery may be used just to relieve the symptoms.

Chemotherapy: A type of medicine that kills cancer cells. It may be used to treat cancer in its early stages, to make the tumor smaller before surgery, to improve the symptoms in advanced cases, or to prevent cancer from coming back after surgery (ex: Paclitaxel, Fluorouracil, Gemcitabine).

Radiotherapy: Radiation that kills cancer cells. It can be combined with chemotherapy if surgery is not applicable, to make the tumor smaller before surgery, or to improve symptoms in advanced cases.

Supportive care: These are types of treatments to make the symptoms of pancreatic cancer get better and may include:

Tablets to help in digesting food to overcome weight loss and eating problems
Pain killers to relieve the pain (ex: Ibuprofen & paracetamol(acetaminophen), Tramadol)
Anti-emetic tablets to avoid feeling sick (ex: Ondansetron)