Pancreatic cancer is A disease in which malignant (cancer) cells are found in the tissues of the pancreas. Also called exocrine cancer. its also called a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. About 95% of exocrine pancreatic cancers are adenocarcinomas (M8140/3). The remaining 5% include adenosquamous carcinomas, squamous cell carcinomas, and giant cell carcinomas. Exocrine pancreatic cancers are far more common than endocrine pancreatic cancers (islet cell carcinomas), which make up about 1% of total cases.
Cancer that starts in the pancreas is called pancreatic cancer.
Diagnosis
Most patients with pancreatic cancer experience pain, weight loss, or jaundice.
Pain is present in 80 to 85 percent of patients with locally advanced or advanced metastic disease. The initial presentation varies according to location of the cancer. Malignancies in the pancreatic body or tail usually present with pain and weight loss, while those in the head of the gland typically present with steatorrhea, weight loss, and jaundice.
Courvoisier sign defines the presence of jaundice and a painlessly distended gallbladder as strongly indicative of pancreatic cancer, and may be used to distinguish pancreatic cancer from gallstones.
Pancreatic cancer is usually discovered during the course of the evaluation of aforementioned symptoms.
CA19-9 (carbohydrate antigen 19.9) is a tumor marker that is frequently elevated in pancreatic cancer. The conclusion of the study was "Oral curcumin is well tolerated and, despite its limited absorption, has biological activity in some patients with pancreatic cancer."
Prognosis
Patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer typically have a poor prognosis partly because the cancer usually causes no symptoms early on, leading to locally advanced or metastatic disease at time of diagnosis. With 37,170 cases diagnosed in the United States in 2007, and 33,700 deaths, pancreatic cancer has one of the highest fatality rates of all cancers and is the fourth highest cancer killer in the United States among both men and women. Although it accounts for only 2.5% of new cases, pancreatic cancer is responsible for 6% of cancer deaths each year.
Pancreatic cancer may occasionally result in diabetes.
What is the pancreas?
The pancreas is a spongy, tube-shaped organ about 6 inches long.
The pancreas makes pancreatic juices and hormones, including insulin. Pancreatic juices, also called enzymes, help digest food in the small intestine.
As pancreatic juices are made, they flow into the main pancreatic duct. This duct joins the common bile duct, which connects the pancreas to the liver and the gallbladder. The common bile duct, which carries bile (a fluid that helps digest fat), connects to the small intestine near the stomach.
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