What Is Pancreas Cancer?
Pancreas cancer is a disease in which the malignant cells are found in the pancreatic tissue. The pancreas is an organ that's about 6 inches long and is thin pear shaped. This organ lies behind the stomach and the head lies on the right sight of the abdomen where the stomach meets the duodenum. The body lies behind the stomach and the tail lies to the left side of the abdomen next to the spleen. The pancreas performs two main functions in the body. Firstly it produces juices that helps break down the food and secondly it produces hormones that regulate the body stores. These two juices are produced by two different types of glands called exocrine and endocrine. The exocrine gland produces pancreatic juice that helps in digestion and endocrine glands releases insulin and glucagon into the blood. Insulin helps in reducing the blood sugar level while glucagon increases the sugar level in the blood. Diabetes is caused when the level of insulin reduces as compared to the level of glucagon.
Pancreas cancer is very hard to diagnose and the most commonly found pancreatic cancer is called the adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. This cancer mainly arises from the exocrine glands. Neuroendocrine carcinoma or islet cell tumor is a cancer found in the endocrine glands and its a completely different type of cancer. The most aggressive of all cancers is the pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Cancer found in the pancreas is highly resistant to medical treatment and people who suffer from this disease have to undergo surgery as it is a curative treatment. What are the symptoms of Pancreas Cancer? Pancreatic cancer is very hard to diagnose as the organs are unseen due to other organs around the pancreas like the stomach, bile ducts, small intestine, gallbladder, liver and the spleen. The symptoms of pancreas cancer are similar to other illnesses. The main symptoms of this cancer includes Pain in the upper and middle abdomen Paleness in the skin Weight loss due to lack of appetite, bloating, diarrhea Yellowing of the skin (Jaundice) Symptoms of pancreas cancer are indistinguishable and easily attributed to other less serious illnesses. This lack of diagnosis leads to major problems and therefore many people suffering from pancreas cancer are able to detect the disease once it reaches its final stage. If any person detects one of the above symptoms he or she should immediately contact the doctor and undergo further tests to see whether they have pancreas cancer. Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer There are three kinds of treatments for patients suffering from pancreatic cancer depending on the type and stage of their cancerous growth. However some natural cures have also become a popular alternative to medical treatments. By the time pancreatic cancer is detected it's too late to opt for natural cures. Surgery treatment is used to take out the tumor (extra growth). This treatment is used alone or along with other treatments. The surgeries extent depends on the location and size of the cancer, the patient's health and the stage of the disease. There are basically three types of surgical treatments like Whipple procedure, Distal Pancreatectomy and Total Pancreatectomy. Doctors perform surgery to relieve the symptoms and during this process the doctor may have to remove some of the organs. Radiation therapy treatment involves high energy x-rays which are used to kill or shrink the cancer cells. These rays come out of the machine outside the body. Chemotherapy - In this treatment the doctor uses drugs like Oxaliplatin to kill the cancer cells growth. Patients should know some important facts about the disease and its side effects before they start the treatment. Cancer damages healthy cells and tissues, therefore side effects are common. Side effects depend on the type of treatment and usually doctors help the patients manage it. Average life expectancy of a patient suffering from pancreatic cancer is about 3-4 months, but the survival rates have been improving constantly. |
