Pancreatic cancer – causes, symptoms and treatment of cancer

Proven content

Any place 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.

1. Pancreatic cancer is more common in men than in women, but the definitive and unequivocal cause of pancreatic cancer has not been established.
2. 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
3. The symptoms of pancreatic cancer are very much dependent on the location of the tumor. What ailments may arise?
4. More information can be found on the Onet homepage

What is pancreatic cancer?

Pancreatic cancer is a type of cancer that is very difficult to treat. It is a very rare cancer in Poland, 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 – often it is 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).

Pancreatic cancer causes

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, it plays an important role tumor inheritance. Pancreatic cancer is considered 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.

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.

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. In addition, during the physical examination, the doctor looks for possible symptoms of pancreatic cancer, such as weight loss, jaundice, enlarged lymph nodes or ascites. 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 us 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.

Pancreatic cancer – treatment

Almost 80 percent. patients with pancreatic cancer come to the 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.