Pancreatic cancer - Wikipedia. Pancreatic cancer.
Diagram showing the position of the pancreas, behind the stomach (which is transparent in this schematic). Specialty. Oncology. Symptoms. Yellow skin, abdominal or back pain, unexplained weight loss, light- colored stools, dark urine, loss of appetite[1]Usual onset. After 4. 0 years old[2]Risk factors.
Tobacco smoking, obesity, diabetes, certain rare genetic conditions[2]Diagnostic method. Medical imaging, blood tests, tissue biopsy[3][4]Prevention.
![Clinical Trials For Pancreatic Cancer Stage 4 Clinical Trials For Pancreatic Cancer Stage 4](http://columbiasurgery.org/sites/default/files/breast_apbi.jpg)
Not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, low red meat diet[5]Treatment. Surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, palliative care[1]Prognosis. Five year survival rate 5%[6][7]Frequency. Deaths. 41. 1,6. 00 (2.
Pancreatic cancer arises when cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a mass. These cancerous cells have the ability to invade other parts of the body.[1. There are a number of types of pancreatic cancer.[6] The most common, pancreatic adenocarcinoma, accounts for about 8.
Regine WF, Winter KA, Abrams RA, et al. Fluorouracil vs gemcitabine chemotherapy before and after fluorouracil-based chemoradiation following resection of pancreatic. · Opioid growth factor improves clinical benefit and survival in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.
These adenocarcinomas start within the part of the pancreas which makes digestive enzymes.[6] Several other types of cancer, which collectively represent the majority of the non- adenocarcinomas, can also arise from these cells.[6] One to two percent of cases of pancreatic cancer are neuroendocrine tumors, which arise from the hormone- producing cells of the pancreas.[6] These are generally less aggressive than pancreatic adenocarcinoma.[6]Signs and symptoms of the most common form of pancreatic cancer may include yellow skin, abdominal or back pain, unexplained weight loss, light- colored stools, dark urine and loss of appetite.[1] There are usually no symptoms in the disease's early stages, and symptoms that are specific enough to suggest pancreatic cancer typically do not develop until the disease has reached an advanced stage.[1][2] By the time of diagnosis, pancreatic cancer has often spread to other parts of the body.[6][1. Pancreatic cancer rarely occurs before the age of 4. Risk factors for pancreatic cancer include tobacco smoking, obesity, diabetes, and certain rare genetic conditions.[2] About 2. Pancreatic cancer is usually diagnosed by a combination of medical imaging techniques such as ultrasound or computed tomography, blood tests, and examination of tissue samples (biopsy).[3][4] The disease is divided into stages, from early (stage I) to late (stage IV).[1. Screening the general population has not been found to be effective.[1.
Description of stage 3 pancreatic cancer. The patients, who have reached this stage, in the majority of cases, may be having tumors inside the body, which cannot.
The risk of developing pancreatic cancer is lower among non- smokers, and people who maintain a healthy weight and limit their consumption of red or processed meat.[5] A smoker's chance of developing the disease decreases if they stop smoking, and almost returns to that of the rest of the population after 2. Pancreatic cancer can be treated with surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, palliative care, or a combination of these.[1] Treatment options are partly based on the cancer stage.[1] Surgery is the only treatment that can cure pancreatic adenocarcinoma,[1. Pain management and medications to improve digestion are sometimes needed.[1. Early palliative care is recommended even for those receiving treatment that aims for a cure.[1. In 2. 01. 5, pancreatic cancers of all types resulted in 4.
Pancreatic cancer is the fifth most common cause of death from cancer in the United Kingdom,[1. United States.[1. The disease occurs most often in the developed world, where about 7. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma typically has a very poor prognosis: after diagnosis, 2. For cancers diagnosed early, the five- year survival rate rises to about 2.
Neuroendocrine cancers have better outcomes; at five years from diagnosis, 6. The pancreas has multiple functions, served by the endocrine cells in the islets of Langerhans and the exocrine acinar cells.
Pancreatic cancer may arise from any of these and disrupt any of their functions. The many types of pancreatic cancer can be divided into two general groups. The vast majority of cases (about 9. There are several sub- types of exocrine pancreatic cancers, but their diagnosis and treatment have much in common. The small minority of cancers that arise in the hormone- producing (endocrine) tissue of the pancreas have different clinical characteristics. Both groups occur mainly (but not exclusively) in people over 4. Exocrine cancers[edit]The exocrine group is dominated by pancreatic adenocarcinoma (variations of this name may add "invasive" and "ductal"), which is by far the most common type, representing about 8.
Nearly all these start in the ducts of the pancreas, and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).[2. This is despite the fact that the tissue from which it arises – the pancreatic ductal epithelium – represents less than 1. This cancer originates in the ducts that carry secretions (such as enzymes and bicarbonate) away from the pancreas. About 6. 0–7. 0% of adenocarcinomas occur in the 'head' of the pancreas.[2]The next most common type, acinar cell carcinoma of the pancreas, arises in the clusters of cells that produce these enzymes, and represents 5% of exocrine pancreas cancers.[2.
Like the 'functioning' endocrine cancers described below, acinar cell carcinomas may cause over- production of certain molecules, in this case digestive enzymes, which may cause symptoms such as skin rashes and joint pain. Cystadenocarcinomas account for 1% of pancreatic cancers, and they have a better prognosis than the other exocrine types.[2. Pancreatoblastoma is a rare form, mostly occurring in childhood, and with a relatively good prognosis. Other exocrine cancers include adenosquamous carcinomas, signet ring cell carcinomas, hepatoid carcinomas, colloid carcinomas, undifferentiated carcinomas, and undifferentiated carcinomas with osteoclast- like giant cells.
Solid pseudopapillary tumor is a rare low- grade neoplasm that mainly affects younger women, and generally has a very good prognosis.[2][2. Pancreatic mucinous cystic neoplasms are a broad group of pancreas tumors that have varying malignant potential. They are being detected at a greatly increased rate as CT scans become more powerful and common, and discussion continues as how best to assess and treat them, given that many are benign.[2. Neuroendocrine[edit]The small minority of tumors that arise elsewhere in the pancreas are mainly pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (Pan. NETs).[2. 6] Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are a diverse group of benign or malignant tumors that arise from the body's neuroendocrine cells, which are responsible for integrating the nervous and endocrine systems.
NETs can start in most organs of the body, including the pancreas, where the various malignant types are all considered to be rare. Pan. NETs are grouped into 'functioning' and 'non- functioning' types, depending on the degree to which they produce hormones. The functioning types secrete hormones such as insulin, gastrin, and glucagon into the bloodstream, often in large quantities, giving rise to serious symptoms such as low blood sugar, but also favoring relatively early detection. The most common functioning Pan. NETs are insulinomas and gastrinomas, named after the hormones they secrete. The non- functioning types do not secrete hormones in a sufficient quantity to give rise to overt clinical symptoms.
For this reason, non- functioning Pan. NETs are often diagnosed only after the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.[2. As with other neuroendocrine tumors, the history of the terminology and classification of Pan. NETs is complex.[2.
Pan. NETs are sometimes called "islet cell cancers",[2. Signs and symptoms[edit]Jaundice can be a symptom, due to biliary obstruction from a pancreatic tumor. Since pancreatic cancer usually does not cause recognizable symptoms in its early stages, the disease is typically not diagnosed until it has spread beyond the pancreas itself.[4] This is one of the main reasons for the generally poor survival rates. Exceptions to this are the functioning Pan.
NETs, where over- production of various active hormones can give rise to symptoms (which depend on the type of hormone).[2. Bearing in mind that the disease is rarely diagnosed before the age of 4. Pain in the upper abdomen or back, often spreading from around the stomach to the back.
The location of the pain can indicate the part of the pancreas where a tumor is located. The pain may be worse at night and may increase over time to become severe and unremitting.[2.