Q. What is the pancreas?
A. The pancreas is an organ, about the size of your hand, which sits just below the stomach. It produces several different enzymes that help digest food. The pancreas also makes the hormone insulin, which controls the level of sugar in your blood.
Q. How common is pancreatic cancer?
A. Around 250,000 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer worldwide each year. This includes around 7,600 in the UK, 55,000 in Europe, 2,200 in Australia, 3,800 in Canada and 34,000 in the USA. It is the 10th most common cancer diagnosed in most developed countries, with roughly the same incidence as leukaemia and cancers of the ovaries, kidney and stomach. It is the sixth most common cause of cancer death in the UK.
Q. Who is most likely to get pancreatic cancer?
A. Like most cancers, the risk of pancreatic cancer rises as we get older. 8 out of 10 cases of pancreatic cancer occur in people over the age of 60 and it is uncommon in people under 40 years old.
Q. What affects the risk of pancreatic cancer?
This is one of the cancers that are strongly associated with smoking tobacco. It is estimated that 1 in 5 pancreatic cancers are caused by smoking.
Obesity has been found to double the risk of getting pancreatic cancer. A diet high in fat and red or processed meats and low in fruit and vegetables can also increase the risk.
People with diabetes (either type 1 or type 2) have double the normal risk, but most people with diabetes will not get pancreatic cancer.
Chronic pancreatitis (a long-term inflammation of the pancreas) can substantially increase the risk of getting this type of cancer.
Q. Does pancreatic cancer run in families?
A. Pancreatic cancer is not inherited, but a higher risk of getting it can be inherited. A person with one close relative (parent, brother or sister) who had pancreatic cancer has double the usual risk of getting it themselves. However, most (9 out of every 10 cases) of pancreatic cancers are not inherited. There is also a rare condition called hereditary pancreatitis in which people inherit a long-term inflammation of the pancreas. This condition carries a very high risk of pancreatic cancer with about half of all sufferers eventually developing the disease.
Q. What are the symptoms of pancreatic cancer?
A. Unfortunately, in its early stages pancreatic cancer does not normally produce any easily recognisable symptoms. When symptoms do start, they are often vague and difficult to diagnose. As a result, people with pancreatic cancer are usually only diagnosed when the cancer is already advanced and treatment is rarely able to cure the cancer. Symptoms can include stomach ache, nausea, indigestion, back pain, loss of appetite, weight loss, and feeling extremely tired. People with pancreatic cancer may also become jaundiced. This is where your skin and the whites of your eyes become yellow and your urine can also become dark yellow. It should be noted however that these symptoms can be caused by many illnesses other than cancer but if you are worried, you should visit your doctor.
Q. How is pancreatic cancer diagnosed?
A. There are blood tests for two chemicals, CA 19-9 and CEA that can be found in pancreatic cancer. These tests are not perfect, as there are other conditions which cause these chemicals in the blood, but they are useful indicators of pancreatic cancer.An ultrasound scan of the stomach area can also be used to identify lumps on your pancreas which may or may not be cancer. However, the best method of diagnosis is a ‘contrast-enhanced’ CT scan. In some cases, keyhole surgery is used to investigate whether the cancer has spread and find out if it can be treated with surgery.
Q. How is pancreatic cancer treated?
A. The type of treatment depends on the type of pancreatic cancer you have, the stage of the cancer when it is diagnosed, its size and your general health. Generally the earlier the cancer is diagnosed, the more successful the treatment. If pancreatic cancer is diagnosed before it has spread around the body, surgery can be used to remove the part of the pancreas containing the tumour. This is called a Whipple procedure or Whipple’s operation. Unfortunately, most patients are diagnosed when the cancer is advanced and has spread, meaning surgery cannot be used. These patients are often given chemotherapy to reduce the symptoms and improve their quality of life rather than attempting to cure the cancer. Radiotherapy can also help relieve the pain.
Q. How effective is the treatment?
A. Because it is so difficult to diagnose in its early stages, pancreatic cancer has a low rate of survival. Most patients have less than six months to live after they are diagnosed. Only about 2 in 10 patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer are suitable for surgery. Surgery usually extends life expectancy to between 12 and 18 months after diagnosis, but only rarely cures the cancer. This is because pancreatic cancer starts to spread at a very early stage.Survival rates are better amongst younger patients and patients who are diagnosed earlier during the course of the cancer, with most of these patients living for between one and two years after diagnosis. link....
A. The pancreas is an organ, about the size of your hand, which sits just below the stomach. It produces several different enzymes that help digest food. The pancreas also makes the hormone insulin, which controls the level of sugar in your blood.
Q. How common is pancreatic cancer?
A. Around 250,000 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer worldwide each year. This includes around 7,600 in the UK, 55,000 in Europe, 2,200 in Australia, 3,800 in Canada and 34,000 in the USA. It is the 10th most common cancer diagnosed in most developed countries, with roughly the same incidence as leukaemia and cancers of the ovaries, kidney and stomach. It is the sixth most common cause of cancer death in the UK.
Q. Who is most likely to get pancreatic cancer?
A. Like most cancers, the risk of pancreatic cancer rises as we get older. 8 out of 10 cases of pancreatic cancer occur in people over the age of 60 and it is uncommon in people under 40 years old.
Q. What affects the risk of pancreatic cancer?
This is one of the cancers that are strongly associated with smoking tobacco. It is estimated that 1 in 5 pancreatic cancers are caused by smoking.
Obesity has been found to double the risk of getting pancreatic cancer. A diet high in fat and red or processed meats and low in fruit and vegetables can also increase the risk.
People with diabetes (either type 1 or type 2) have double the normal risk, but most people with diabetes will not get pancreatic cancer.
Chronic pancreatitis (a long-term inflammation of the pancreas) can substantially increase the risk of getting this type of cancer.
Q. Does pancreatic cancer run in families?
A. Pancreatic cancer is not inherited, but a higher risk of getting it can be inherited. A person with one close relative (parent, brother or sister) who had pancreatic cancer has double the usual risk of getting it themselves. However, most (9 out of every 10 cases) of pancreatic cancers are not inherited. There is also a rare condition called hereditary pancreatitis in which people inherit a long-term inflammation of the pancreas. This condition carries a very high risk of pancreatic cancer with about half of all sufferers eventually developing the disease.
Q. What are the symptoms of pancreatic cancer?
A. Unfortunately, in its early stages pancreatic cancer does not normally produce any easily recognisable symptoms. When symptoms do start, they are often vague and difficult to diagnose. As a result, people with pancreatic cancer are usually only diagnosed when the cancer is already advanced and treatment is rarely able to cure the cancer. Symptoms can include stomach ache, nausea, indigestion, back pain, loss of appetite, weight loss, and feeling extremely tired. People with pancreatic cancer may also become jaundiced. This is where your skin and the whites of your eyes become yellow and your urine can also become dark yellow. It should be noted however that these symptoms can be caused by many illnesses other than cancer but if you are worried, you should visit your doctor.
Q. How is pancreatic cancer diagnosed?
A. There are blood tests for two chemicals, CA 19-9 and CEA that can be found in pancreatic cancer. These tests are not perfect, as there are other conditions which cause these chemicals in the blood, but they are useful indicators of pancreatic cancer.An ultrasound scan of the stomach area can also be used to identify lumps on your pancreas which may or may not be cancer. However, the best method of diagnosis is a ‘contrast-enhanced’ CT scan. In some cases, keyhole surgery is used to investigate whether the cancer has spread and find out if it can be treated with surgery.
Q. How is pancreatic cancer treated?
A. The type of treatment depends on the type of pancreatic cancer you have, the stage of the cancer when it is diagnosed, its size and your general health. Generally the earlier the cancer is diagnosed, the more successful the treatment. If pancreatic cancer is diagnosed before it has spread around the body, surgery can be used to remove the part of the pancreas containing the tumour. This is called a Whipple procedure or Whipple’s operation. Unfortunately, most patients are diagnosed when the cancer is advanced and has spread, meaning surgery cannot be used. These patients are often given chemotherapy to reduce the symptoms and improve their quality of life rather than attempting to cure the cancer. Radiotherapy can also help relieve the pain.
Q. How effective is the treatment?
A. Because it is so difficult to diagnose in its early stages, pancreatic cancer has a low rate of survival. Most patients have less than six months to live after they are diagnosed. Only about 2 in 10 patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer are suitable for surgery. Surgery usually extends life expectancy to between 12 and 18 months after diagnosis, but only rarely cures the cancer. This is because pancreatic cancer starts to spread at a very early stage.Survival rates are better amongst younger patients and patients who are diagnosed earlier during the course of the cancer, with most of these patients living for between one and two years after diagnosis. link....
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