Pancreatic Cancer
- Pancreatic Cancer Overview
- Pancreatic Cancer Causes
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Pancreatic Cancer - on MedicineNet - Viewer Comments: Pancreatic Cancer - Effective Treatments
Diagnosis and Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer
Author: John P. Cunha, DO
Editor: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
In March 2008, actor Patrick Swayze announced he was diagnosed with
pancreatic cancer, and as a result, patients began asking me about this disease.
While pancreatic cancer is not one of the most common forms of cancer, it can be
considered one of the most deadly because it is aggressive, spreads rapidly
and thus often not diagnosed until it is in later stages, and few treatment
options exist.
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death overall, according to the American Cancer Society. Nearly 38,000 Americans will be diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas during 2008, and 34,000 will die from the disease.
One of my first patients as an intern following my graduation from medical school was a 64-year-old man diagnosed with late-stage pancreatic cancer. He was admitted to the hospital suffering from weakness and dehydration and was unable to hold down solid foods or liquids.
He had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer about six months earlier. His doctors at the time recommended surgery to remove the malignant tumor in his pancreas. This surgery is known as a Whipple procedure (pancreatoduodenectomy); this is still the most common procedure for surgically treating pancreatic cancer. This is a radical surgical procedure which involves removing the malignant part of the pancreas and rerouting the stomach and the bile ducts from the liver to the small intestine. Recovery time for this procedure is several weeks, and there can be multiple complications. Because of the risks, the patient elected not to have the surgery.
Pancreatic Cancer Overview
The pancreas is an organ
in the upper abdomen located beneath the stomach and adjacent to the first
portion of the small intestine,
called the duodenum. The
pancreas is composed of glands that are responsible for a wide variety of tasks.
The glandular functions of the pancreas can be divided into the following 2
categories:
- Exocrine: The exocrine glands secrete enzymes into ducts that eventually empty into the duodenum. These enzymes then help in the digestion of food as it moves through the intestines.
- Endocrine: The endocrine glands secrete hormones, including insulin, into the bloodstream. Insulin is carried by the blood throughout the rest of the body to assist in the process of using sugar as an energy source. Insulin also controls the levels of sugar in the blood.
The pancreas can be divided into the following 4 anatomical sections:
- Head - The rightmost portion that lies adjacent to the duodenum
- Uncinate process - An extension of the head of the pancreas
- Body - The middle portion of the pancreas
- Tail - The leftmost portion of the pancreas that lies adjacent to the spleen
Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasia (IPMN) is a type of pancreatic cancer that is beginning to be recognized more frequently. This pancreatic cancer has a better prognosis than other types of pancreatic cancer. Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasia is usually diagnosed endoscopically (see Exams and Tests).
The most common type of pancreatic cancer arises from the exocrine glands and is called adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. The endocrine glands of the pancreas can give rise to a completely different type of cancer, referred to as pancreatic neuroendocrine carcinoma or islet cell tumor. This article only discusses issues related to the more common type of pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is among the most aggressive of all cancers. By the time that pancreatic cancer is diagnosed, most people already have disease that has spread to distant sites in the body. Pancreatic cancer is also relatively resistant to medical treatment, and the only potentially curative treatment is surgery. In 2004, approximately 31,800 people in the United States were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and approximately 31,200 people died of this disease. These numbers reflect the challenge in treating pancreatic cancer and the relative lack of curative options.Next: Pancreatic Cancer Causes »
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Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatitis Overview
Pancreatitis simply means inflammation of the pancreas. Located in the upper part of the abdomen, behind the stomach, the pancreas plays an important role in digestion. The pancreas is a gland, producing two main types of substances: digestive juices and digestive hormones.
- Digestive juices include enzymes and bicarbonate. They travel through a small tube called the pancreatic duct to the small intestine (duodenum).
- There, the enzymes break down the proteins and fats in the foods that you eat to permit the nutrients to be absorbed.
- The bicarbonate neutralizes stomach acid.
- Digestive hormones, mainly insulin and glucagon, are released into the bloodstream. They control the body's blood sugar, a major source of energy.
Inflammation of the pancreas has various c...
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Pancreatic Cancer »
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of death among both men and women, comprising 6% of all cancer-related deaths.
