Explaining pancreatic cancer – Part 1
February 1, 2010 by
Filed under Gall Bladder Symptoms
Pancreatic Cancer: Signs, Treatment, and Prevention
Pancreatic cancer develops when cancerous cells, cells that multiply uncontrollably, form in the tissues of your pancreas. Your pancreas secretes enzymes that aid digestion and hormones that help regulate the metabolism of carbohydrates, making it a very important organ. Pancreatic cancer spreads rapidly and is seldom detected in its early stages, which is a major reason why it’s one of the more deadly forms of cancer. Signs and symptoms may not appear until the disease is quite advanced. By that time, the cancer is likely to have spread to other parts of the body and surgical removal is no longer possible
Signs and Symptoms:
-Upper abdominal pain. Abdominal pain occurs when a tumor presses on surrounding organs and nerves. Pain may be constant or intermittent and is often worse after you eat or when you lie down.
-Loss of appetite and unintentional weight loss. Weight loss occurs in most types of cancer because cancerous (malignant) cells deprive healthy cells of nutrients.
-Itching. High levels of bile acids accumulate in your skin and causes itching.
-Nausea and vomiting. The tumor may block a portion of your digestive tract causing nausea and vomiting.
-Digestive problems. Without the pancreas’s digestive enzymes, many nutrients in foods are not absorbed and broken down, leading to malnourishment.
Treatment:
-Total pancreatectomy. The pancreas is completely removed along with the gallbladder and spleen. After a total pancreatectomy, you’ll need insulin injections and pancreatic enzymes, and the operation presents serious risks. Total pancreatectomy isn’t often used for people with pancreatic cancer because there doesn’t appear to be enough benefit from the procedure to justify the risks.
-Distal pancreatectomy. Only part of the pancreas, the tail is removed, sometimes the spleen too.
-Radiation therapy. Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays to destroy cancer cells. Radiation that comes from a machine outside your body (external beam radiation) is generally used to treat pancreatic cancer. Side effects of radiation therapy may include a burn on your skin similar to sunburn where the radiation enters your body, nausea, vomiting and fatigue.
-Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy uses drugs to help kill cancer cells. For that reason, they’re often used to treat cancers that have spread. Often used in combination with radiation.
-If your cancer has spread too far to be completely removed by an operation, the primary goal will be to relieve your signs and symptoms.
Prevention:
-Quit smoking. Cigarette smoke contains chemicals that can damage the DNA that regulates cell growth.
-Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight increases your risk of many life threatening diseases, including pancreatic cancer.
-Exercise regularly.
-Eat a healthy diet. High in fruits and vegetables and low in animal fat and sugars is optimal.
Others Related Posts:
- Treatment options for pancreatic cancer – Part 2 ... of the pancreas. The surgery involves removing the...
- Treatment options for pancreatic cancer ... is a total pancreatectomy. This process eradicates the...
- Pancreatic Cancer-One of the Deadliest Cancers ... , vomiting, and pain that tends to be...
- Pancreatic Cancer Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment and Prognosis ... be investigated for other pancreatic disease. Courvoisier sign...
- Pancreatic Cancer: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, and Prevention ... by placement of a tube (stent) in the...
