Pancreatic adenoma
| Pancreatic cancer | |
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| Diagram showing the position of the pancreas, behind the stomach (which is transparent in this schematic). | |
| Specialty | Oncology |
| Symptoms | Yellow skin, abdominal or back pain, unexplained weight loss, light-colored stools, dark urine, loss of appetite |
| Usual onset | After 40 years old |
| Risk factors | Tobacco smoking, obesity, diabetes, certain rare genetic conditions |
| Diagnostic method | Medical imaging, blood tests, tissue biopsy |
| Prevention | Not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, low red meat diet |
| Treatment | Surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, palliative care |
| Prognosis | Five year survival rate 5% |
| Frequency | 393,800 (2015) |
| Deaths | 411,600 (2015) |
| Classification |
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| External resources |
Pancreatic cancer arises when cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a mass. These cancerous cells have the ability to invade other parts of the body. There are a number of types of pancreatic cancer. The most common, pancreatic adenocarcinoma, accounts for about 85% of cases, and the term "pancreatic cancer" is sometimes used to refer only to that type. These adenocarcinomas start within the part of the pancreas which makes digestive enzymes. Several other types of cancer, which collectively represent the majority of the non-adenocarcinomas, can also arise from these cells. One to two percent of cases of pancreatic cancer are neuroendocrine tumors, which arise from the hormone-producing cells of the pancreas. These are generally less aggressive than pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
Signs and symptoms of the most common form of pancreatic cancer may include yellow skin, abdominal or back pain, unexplained weight loss, light-colored stools, dark urine and loss of appetite. There are usually no symptoms in the disease's early stages, and symptoms that are specific enough to suggest pancreatic cancer typically do not develop until the disease has reached an advanced stage. By the time of diagnosis, pancreatic cancer has often spread to other parts of the body.
Pancreatic cancer rarely occurs before the age of 40, and more than half of cases of pancreatic adenocarcinoma occur in those over 70. Risk factors for pancreatic cancer include tobacco smoking, obesity, diabetes, and certain rare genetic conditions. About 25% of cases are linked to smoking, and 5–10% are linked to inherited genes. Pancreatic cancer is usually diagnosed by a combination of medical imaging techniques such as ultrasound or computed tomography, blood tests, and examination of tissue samples (biopsy). The disease is divided into stages, from early (stage I) to late (stage IV).Screening the general population has not been found to be effective.
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