Causes And Treatment Of Pancreatic Cancer

This year, an estimate of 53,070 adults, have been or will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. (27,670 men and 25,400 women). Pancreatic cancer is the ninth most common cancer in women. Pancreatic cancer should have the most attention because doctors still don’t know how to diagnose this type of cancer yet. The main problem is cost-effective screening tests that easily and reliably find early-stages of pancreatic cancer in people, sometimes show no symptoms.Often “times it is” not found until later stages when the cancer can no longer be surgically removed and has spread from the pancreas to other parts of the body. ("Pancreatic Cancer: Statistics", 2017)

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

Pancreatic cancer is the cancer that appears quickly and many die just as quick. Pancreatic cancer is the least known cancer to the medical world; puzzling doctors because most are not sure what diagnosis to look for. However, the risk factors include smoking, diabetes, and obesity. Studies show that pancreatic cancer has a higher percentage in the African American community due to environmental risk factors (John Hopkins Pathology, 2012).

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).

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in men in the United States and the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women. It is very rare before the age of 45 years, and the majority of patients present in or beyond the sixth decade of life (Feldman et al.2010). Carcinoma arises anywhere in the pancreas. The most common frequent focus is in the head (60%), followed by the body (10%), and the tail (5%). Carcinomas of the head of the pancreas may cause biliary obstruction and jaundice by compressing the ampulla of Vater and common bile duct. They thus tend to be smaller at diagnosis than those of the body and tail and show more limited spread to regional lymph nodes and distant sites. On gross examination, pancreas carcinoma

Pancreatic cancer is the cancer of the pancreas. The pancreas is an organ between the spine and the stomach, and is about 6 inches long. The pancreas is also made up of two major components named the exocrine and the endocrine. A person has to have a pancreas to survive and this cancer can cause a rapid decline in health and eventually death. To prevent this cancer, a person needs to stop smoking, maintain a healthy weight, and check up with your sugar.

DNA methylation is one of “the best known epigenetic marker[s]” (Fukushige). The promoter CpG islands created by DNA methylation in an attempt to silence sections of the DNA code are easily recognized by the methylation-specific PCR analysis. The aberrant DNA methylation common of cancer cells is capable of being detected, even when surrounded by significant amounts of impure normal DNA. Since DNA methylation occurs during the early stages of pancreatic cancer, the early detection could help prevent the loss of an individual’s life by the disease, which makes the identification of pancreatic cancer by DNA methylation a beneficial signalling method and good for risk estimation as well

Pancreatic Cancer is a form of cancer in which malignant cancer cells invade the pancreas, a gland that produces digestive fluid and hormones that regulate blood sugar. There are two types of pancreatic cancer: exocrine and endocrine cancer. The malignant cells can infiltrate either the exocrine pancreatic cells, responsible for digestive fluid, or the endocrine pancreatic cells, responsible for regulatory hormones. If the pancreas’ exocrine cells are affected metabolic functions are slowed or stopped completely. Thus, this results in death. If the endocrine cells of the pancreas are affected hormones such as Insulin are unable to be produced and the bodies organs will shut down. Pancreatic Cancer usually begins in the exocrine cells and moves into the endocrine cells (Movva). Pancreatic cancer occurs when cells are mutated from genetic dispositions or detrimental behavioral habits. These mutated cells metastasize to form a tumor. Pancreatic cancer can afflict anyone, However, it is more common in those of African American descent, those with excessive body weights, and those who partake in risky behavioral habits. Pancreatic cancer is an incredibly lethal disease.

However, unlike in other cancers, this has not resulted in a similar increase in effective targeted treatment options that are available in the clinic. In fact, the mainstay of pancreatic cancer remains largely conventional and includes surgery for the minority of patients who are diagnosed with resectable disease, and cytotoxic therapy (3-5).

The first discovery of pancreatic cancer was thought to be during the 18th century, but the first cases were reported in the 1800s. As more cancers were discovered throughout the body, more research was done on it. It has been a problem for hundreds of years, but there was and still isn’t a real cure. Within the last 10 years more light has been shed upon the subject and more research is being done. Pancreatic cancer, like all other cancers has no “cure”, but there are ways to treat it. This type of cancer is one of the most deadly kinds, especially if it is not caught early on. According to Pancreatic Cancer Action, the risks of people ages 45-84 is about 84.6% and when people get diagnosed they are usually under the age of 65 (“Causes

The summer of July 2014 my family got devastating news that my grandfather was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Prior diagnose of pancreatic cancer his weight had dropped drastically, couldn’t keep any of his food down, and pigmentation had changed. When he came into the hospital his intestines were wrapped around his kidneys and they found a tumor in his pancreas. By August 2, 2014 my grandfather had lost the battle of pancreatic cancer. His death was slow and painful surrounded by nothing but family and friends. (3)

Cancer is a number one cause of death in both men and women around the world. Pancreatic cancer holds a survival rate of just 6% of people surviving within five years after being diagnosed, and there is still no definite cure to the deadly diagnosis. A majority of pancreatic cancer patients fight a long, tiring battle that they usually cannot defeat. Although, this cancer may be very deadly there are many early diagnosis procedures and treatments that can be performed to increase the chances of remission.

Reynolds, R. B., & Folloder, J. (2014). Clinical Management of Pancreatic Cancer. Journal of the Advanced Practitioner in Oncology, 5(5), 356–364. Retrieved July 9, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4457174/

Cancer is simply defined as a disease in which abnormal cells divide uncontrollably and destroy body tissue. Adult cancers usually form in the epithelial tissues, the tissues that line the cavities and surfaces of blood vessels and the body’s organs. They are often believed to the be the result of long biological processes, related to environment and behavior as well as susceptibility of an individual (CANCER AMONG INFANTS). In infants, however, cancer manifests itself differently. Because innately they have not had the same duration of environmental exposures and are a result of genetics and their mother’s behavior in situ the standard genetic processes that fail to eviscerate the formation of cancer cells occurs, unfortunately, very early

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is an aggressive and difficult malignancy to treat. It is the 4th most common cause of death by cancer in the US. PDA encompasses 85% of all pancreatic cancers with a 5% survival rate five years after diagnosis. It consists of a dense fibrous stroma that is made up of a heterogeneous population of cells including fibroblasts, myofibroblasts, pancreatic stellate cells and immune cells. It is believed that this fibrous network promotes cancer progression and induce resistance to chemotherapy and radiation therapy.