Pancreatic Cancer Literature Review Essay

"Cancer of the pancreas is a genetic disease that is the fifth most common cause of death in both men and women. Pancreatic cancer affects approximately 28,000 Americans each year, or five out of 100,000 people" (Mayo Clinic, 1998). According to physicians at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, "pancreatic cancer is the challenge of the twenty-first century." So, where exactly is the pancreas located in our bodies, and what does it do? The pancreas is a gland found behind the stomach that is shaped somewhat like a fish. The pancreas is about six inches long and less than two inches wide, and it extends across the abdomen. The pancreas consists of two separate glands inside the same organ, the exocrine gland and the

Pancreatic cancer is currently number four in cancer related deaths for both male and female. Why is pancreatic cancer awareness not reconsidered like breast cancer (second most common deaths in women.) Pancreatic cancer kills just about or more than breast cancer.

Pancreatic Cancer is cancer of an organ in the human body called the pancreas, which is located behind the lower part of the stomach. The function of this organ is to secrete certain essential enzymes to digest food and also secrete hormones to metabolize sugars such as insulin and glucagon (Mayoclinic). People get pancreatic cancer when the cells of the pancreas develop genetic mutations; and these can form in both the exocrine and endocrine cells of the pancreas, but exocrine tumors are more common than endocrine tumors. Because this cancer spreads very quickly throughout the body and the symptoms of the disease don’t usually appear until the cancer is at an advanced stage, it is a leading cause of death

Approximately 20% of pancreatic cancer is found to be operable or resectable. The complete resection of the primary lesion is best treatment for patients with localized pancreatic cancer. However the risk of both local and distal recurrence is high in following resection. In early stage pancreatic cancer the complete resection are associated with considerable morbidity in 40–60% of patients and mortality in less than 3% of patients (Sohn et al., 2000; Winter et al., 2006). Moreover, it takes 2–3 months for complete recovery to a normal quality of life. Although the 5-year survival rate of resected pancreatic cancer is approximately 20% and the median overall survival time is 17–27 months (Winter et al., 2006).

Pancreatic Cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Currently there is no cure for this cancer and all available treatments simply prolong the life of the patient. Diagnosing pancreatic cancer rarely occurs at the onset of the disease due to the location of the pancreas in the body. Symptoms such as weight loss and upper abdominal pain do not show up until it is too late. Enzymes produced by tumors known as tumor markers are not reliable until the disease has well progressed. Once you have been diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer there are different types of treatments that are offered to prolong your life.

Pancreatic Cancer Axia College (2009) Pancreatic cancer is an abnormal, uncontrolled growth of the cells in the pancreas, which is a digestive gland located behind the stomach. The pancreas is both an endocrine and exocrine gland. Cancer of the exocrine pancreas is more common than cancerof the endocrine pancreas. Pancreaticcancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer related deaths among men and women. Pancreatic cancer remains both a challenge to diagnose and even a greater challenge to treat effectively. What is the pancreas? The pancreas is a spongy, tube-shaped organ about six inches long. The pancreas is located in the back of the abdomen, behind the stomach. The head of the pancreas is on the right side of the abdomen. The

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest types of cancer. The cancer is normally not found till it's in the further stages. Pancreatic cancer is when tumors are formed in the pancreas. There are two types of Pancreatic cancer,endocrine and endocrine tumors.Exocrine is the most common type of pancreatic cancer. The main type of Exocrine tumor is Pancreatic adenocarcinoma. About 95% of exocrine tumors are pancreatic adenocarcinoma. This type of cancer usually begins in the ducts of the pancreas. Endocrine tumors and uncommon and make up less than 4% of pancreatic cancer. They both occur in people over 40, and a little more common in men. Pancreatic cancer cause is still unknown, research shows that damage to the DNA can be a cause. It is also

The indications of pancreatic adenocarcinoma don't generally show up in the disease's initial stages and are individually not different to the illness. The indications at diagnosis shift as per the area of the tumor in the pancreas, which anatomists divide into the thick head, the neck, and the decreasing body, finishing in the tail. Despite a tumor's area, the most

Furthermore, having an unhealthy diet provokes cancer. When explaining foods that increase the risk of cancer, the author writes, “Certain chemicals are made when red and processed meats are cooked at high temperatures, such as on a barbecue. These chemicals can damage our cells, making them more likely to become cancerous” (Diet Causing Cancer). Cooking processed meat at a high temperature can create noxious chemicals. If one consumes this type of meat, it is like he/she is smoking a cigarette. The poisonous toxins in the meat infiltrate the body and alter the structure of cells, causing the cells to be cancerous. The author goes on to declare, “Overweight or obese people have an increased risk of pancreatic cancer… because they tend to have higher insulin levels” (Diet Causing Cancer). People who have unhealthy diets are generally overweight or obese. These obese people have a higher level of insulin because their diets consist of large amounts of sugar. Insulin is created in the pancreas. When the pancreas has to “work harder” than usual to

As we age, there are other medical factors that can increase our chances in causing cancer mutations in the body. Age is a very important risk factor for pancreatic cancer. Especially for someone over the age of sixty, it is very common to be found in patients of that age. Diet and habits also pay a factor in increasing the chance of pancreatic cancer. Facts of pancreatic cancer states that pancreatic cancers are more likely to exist in men that women, and more in African Americans than whites. Smoking, obesity, and alcohol consumption is also consider big risk factors for pancreatic cancer.

People with certain risk factors may be more likely than others to develop cancer of the pancreas. Some risk factors that may increase the chance of getting cancer of the pancreas include smoking tobacco, the most important risk factor for pancreatic cancer. People with diabetes, family history with pancreatic cancer increases the risk of developing the disease, inflammation of the pancreas and having pancreatitis for a long time. Overweight or obese people may likely than other people to develop pancreatic cancer. Possible risk factors being studied include, diet high in animal fat and heavy drinking of alcoholic beverages. “Another area of active research is whether certain genes increase the risk of disease. Many people who get pancreatic cancer have none of these risk factors, and many people who have known risk factors don’t develop the disease”.(pg. 7).

Pancreatic Cancer is currently one of the deadliest cancers in the world. In the United States alone, Pancreatic Cancer was the fourth leading cause of death among males and third in females causing 19,480 and 24,530 deaths respectively (Siegel et al., 2013). It has a five year survival rate of less than three percent in the United States (Siegel et al., 2013). This is mainly due to late diagnosis, surgical difficulties, aggressive metastases and resistance to apoptosis (Li et al., 2014). Surgical intervention has been seen as the most effective form of treatment for pancreatic tumors but due to late detection, surgical options become difficult to pursue. As a result, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy are the main routes of treatment for patients (Li et al., 2014). Unfortunately not only are these routes very low in efficacy (Li et al., 2014), but have incredibly devastating side effects on the body and the overall quality of life of patients (Love et al., 2006).

Diagnosis of pancreatic cancer leads to Principal Sandy Shore to declare his resignation at the Papillion-La Vista South High School graduation today.

I am a lucky yet unlucky man. They call it PanCan, short for Pancreatic Cancer, there are many stages I must say yet there are relatively 20% survival rate and to get to live up to five years? 6% chance. The larger my tumor gets the less likely it’ll be cured. They give me 2 years top, if I am lucky; but I’ve learned to cope with the cancer. You see even people who have 3-5 cm appear to have been cured by surgery, I have hope. On a daily basis I find myself struggling with daily activities, changes in appearances and even anxiety of the future, and on top of all that, I am constantly anxious about treatment and if it will work. Pancreatic Cancer is cruel and ruthless, it will devour one’s

Pancreatic pseudocyst (pp) is a localized peri-pancreatic fluid collection that results from pancreatic inflammation due to pancreatitis, trauma, or ductal obstruction due to stricture or stone [1]. The fluid is rich in pancreatic secretions that have leaked from the pancreatic ductal system [2]. They are not true cysts because they lack an epithelial lining. It is surrounded by a wall of fibrous or granulation tissue [3]. It accounts 80% of all pancreatic cysts. It complicates 2% to 10% of patients after acute pancreatitis and about 10% to 30% of patients after chronic pancreatitis [4]. The natural history usually is spontaneous resolution, with up to 85% of pseudocyts resolving within 4-6 weeks [2,5]. The two main factors determining the