Pancreatic Cancer Research Paper

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

     Several tests can be run once symptoms are noticed to earmark the disease with a proper diagnosis. Some of the tests include; a biopsy of the tumor, X-rays, a CT scan, a skeletal survey, bone scans or bone marrow aspiration (fluid sample) and biopsy (tissue sample). Once diagnosed, the treatments begin to hinder any advancement the cancer would or could make. Possibly removing the cancer completely through surgery is a possibility, while others include chemotherapy, radiation treatment, and bone marrow transplantation. Many times these treatments can be used concurrently with one another.

The patient charts and radiologic images will advise the physician in the status of the cyst in addition to changes in symptoms being experienced by the patient. Pancreatic cysts that present high risk stigmata should be considered for resection if patient is medically fit for surgery. The surgical pathology specifies their diagnosis post operation.

The long-term outcome of pancreatic cancer is extremely poor, the overall median survival from diagnosis being 3 - 6 months without treatment, which increases to around 23 months with resectional surgery and adjuvant treatment. Pancreatic cancer is characterized by resistance to all cancer treatment modalities and early metastasis. Surgical resection remains the mainstay of treatment for pancreatic cancer. Curative surgery is rare. Although it improves the otherwise poor prognosis, it is essentially palliative

Non functioning tumours and Pancreatic Polypeptide secreting tumours make up 15-20% of pancreatic tu-mours, are frequently malignant, large and found almost exclusively within the pancreas.

Table 1: Causes of Pancreatic Cancer What are the symptoms of pancreatic cancer? The symptoms are wide ranged but usually do not appear till in the late stages of the cancer. That is one of the reasons that this is such a deadly killer. Some of the more common symptoms are shared by other diseases and is another factor that causes this disease so hard to diagnose. Pain in the upper back or upper abdomen, loss of appetite, weight loss, jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin, dark urine), indigestion, nausea and vomiting. This is a list of the more common symptoms but as with each individual the symptoms can be different in each. As with any unknown disease, a physician is the best place to start to protect peopleshealth and get a correct diagnosis. How is pancreatic cancer diagnosed? The physician will order a variety of possible diagnostic tests. A blood test can assess various pancreatic and liver functions and may suggest pancreatic cancer. If cancer is suspected a needle biopsy is usually conducted to examine the pancreas cells themselves for signs of cancer (Britannica Online 2007). These procedures are invasive and can cause complications including pancreatitis. In order to make a correct diagnosis and to determine the stage of the cancer it is possible to use multiple imaging techniques to allow doctors to see the pancreas even though it

The pancreas is an organ mainly involved in process as digestions and the synthesis of hormones, and as all the others tissues in our body, it can develop cancer. Actually, pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest types of cancer, either because of the symptoms that only appears at a late stage of the disease, the hard diagnosis and the high chances of metastasis.The symptoms associated with the pancreatic cancer are not specific, such lack of appetite, abdominal ache and weight loss. The diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is hard because the pancreas is located in not favorable position for exams to scan and detect its presence. Pancreatic cancer can also metastasize to other tissues, but mainly to liver tissues and it actually happens before

According to Professor John Neoptolemos, "There are approximately 7,000 new cases each year - but it is one of the most lethal cancers." The main reason for the low survival rate from pancreatic cancer is due to its difficulty in finding this cancer early. By the time a person has symptoms, the cancer has often reached a large size and spread to other organs. Because the pancreas is deep inside the body, the doctor cannot see or feel tumors during a routine physical exam. There are currently no blood tests or other tests that can easily find this cancer early in people without symptoms. Tests for certain genes in people with a family history of the disease can help tell if they are at higher risk for cancer. There are some new tests for finding pancreatic cancer early in people with a strong family history of the disease, but these tests are complicated and expensive. Some symptoms of pancreatic cancer include jaundice, a yellow color of the eyes and skin caused by a substance buildup in the liver, pain in the belly area or in the middle of the back, significant weight loss over a number of months, loss of appetite, digestive problems including nausea, vomiting, pain that tends to be worse after eating, a swollen gallbladder that is enlarged, blood clots that form in the veins or cause problems with fatty tissue under the skin, and diabetes. If the doctor has any reason to suspect pancreatic cancer, certain tests will be done to see if the disease is really

Signs and Symptoms from early to late stages include; Dark urine, pale stools, and yellow skin and eyes from jaundice, Nausea and vomiting, frequent bowel movement, Pain in the upper part of your belly and pain in the middle part of your back, relieved by a shift in position, Others may include weakness or feeling very tired with loss of appetite or feelings of fullness and weight loss. Pancreatic cancer can be diagnosis by having a blood tests, CT scan, an x-ray, ultrasound and endoscopy. Physical exam may examine abdominal changes in areas near the pancreas, liver,

When spreading through the body there are certain stages the cancer has to go through to expand. Stage 0. There is no spread.The cancer is limited to only one cell in the pancreas. Stage I: The cancer is only limited to the pancreas cell, but has moved at least two centimeters. Not yet visible in screening tests. Stage II: The cancer has grown outside the pancreas and may have spread to the lymph nodes. Stage III: The tumor has spread drastically making it now possible for the tests to detect the tumor,increasing the possibility for it expand into the blood vessels or nerves. Stage IV: The cancer has spread to different organs of the body.("Pancreatic Cancer Treatments by Stage") The first place to attack after spreading would be the stomach, then it would expand to the liver. After the cancer reaches these points, it travels to other places in the body. ("Treating Pancreatic Cancer, Based on Extent of the Cancer").

The main function of the pancreas is maintaining blood glucose levels to about 70-150 milligrams per decilitre. The pancreas does this by measuring if the blood sugar level is too high or low, if it is not the correct level then a hormone is released. If the blood sugar level is too high insulin is released from the beta cells and causes glucose to enter body cells to be used for energy but sometimes can stimulate glucose to turn to glycogen in the liver. However, if it is too low then glucogen is released into the blood which causes the stored glycogen in the liver to break down

Pancreatic cancer is when cancer cells form around the the tissue in the pancreas. It is located in your stomach in front of your spine. What the pancreas does for you is it makes the liquid and the hormones that help make your blood sugar normal. For the most part the start of pancreatic cancers start in the exocrine cells. Pancreatic cancer has a poor judgement that might happen in the future. It spreads very fast and not seen in the earlier stages. That is one reason this is one of the major cancers that leads to a lot of people's

Pancreatitis is a disease that involves the pancreas. The pancreas is considered a large gland which is located behind the stomach and right next to the small intestine. There are two main functions that the pancreas does; one, “It releases powerful digestive enzymes into the small intestine to aid the digestion of food, and two, It releases the hormones insulin and glucagon into the bloodstream. These hormones help the body control how it uses food for energy” (Digestive Disorders Health Center, 2005-2015). With pancreatitis disease, it means that the pancreas is becoming inflamed. When this happens the digestive enzymes become active which releases it into the small intestine and starts attacking the pancreas.

Pancreatic cancer is a highly lethal disease that is ranked fourth among cancer-related deaths in Norway. 31 Yearly 600-650 new cases are detected, corresponding to 7 per 100 000 inhabitant. The survival rate five years after diagnosis is very low, at only 5 %. 19 Approximately 90 % of patients diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer survive less than one year, with a median survival of 5-6 months. The high mortality rate is connected to late diagnosis, early metastasis and poor response to chemo- and radiotherapy. 34 Pancreatic cancer can be inherited, but 90 % of cases are considered sporadic. 19 The major histological type of pancreatic cancer is ductal pancreatic adenocarcinoma which account for 80 % of the

Pancreatic cancer has 4 stages, and depending on which one is diagnosed to an individual there are different treatments and different amounts of chemo and radiation. There are also different treatments for each stage. The Whipple procedure can be used in all stages, but is one of the main treatment options for stage one. The other option for the first stage is a total pancreatectonomy with or without postoperative chemotherapy and radiation (Pancreatic Cancer, p.24). For stages two, three, and four, “treatment options include resection (if feasible), radiation with or without chemotherapy, and palliative biliary