Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month Improving diagnosis and treatment

Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month Improving diagnosis and treatment Awareness was raised this year with news that Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek is battling pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer symptoms can be vague, but like all cancers there is no cure, so spotting any sorts of signs as early as possible is extremely important in order to make treatment more successful. One symptom of the disease to watch out for may appear in a person’s eyes.

On the occasion of World Pancreatic Cancer Day, a surgeon talks about the importance of raising awareness of pancreatic cancer - the symptoms and risks of this disease and the urgent need for early diagnosis.

According to a statement by Kerry Simpson on behalf of Abbott Laboratories, one of the major challenges associated with pancreatic cancer is that the condition often goes undetected for a long period of time because signs and symptoms seldom occur until advanced stages. By the time symptoms occur, cancer cells are likely to have spread (metastasised) to other parts of the body, often preventing surgical removal of tumours.

The pancreas is an elongated organ which is divided into three parts - head, body and tailUnlike other organs in the abdomen, the pancreas is closely related to large blood vessels that go into the liver and vessels that supply the small intestines.

In Alabama as well as all of the United States pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related death, expected to kill 770 Alabamians this year. An estimated 910 people in Alabama will receive a pancreatic cancer diagnosis in 2019.

The American Cancer Society says 56,770 Americans will be diagnosed this year and 45,750 will die. It makes up about 3% of all cancers in the U.S. and about 7% of all cancer deaths.

“Senator Jones, on behalf of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, PanCAN, I want to thank you for convening this field hearing today to highlight pancreatic cancer and the importance of federal support for pancreatic cancer research,” began Steve Cook’s testimony. Cook, a PanCAN advocate from Huntsville, Ala., lost his first wife, Marqueta, to the disease in 2018, just 12 months after her diagnosis.

The fight has been elevated the past year after "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek announced in March he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He announced in September that he was resuming chemotherapy.

The deficiency of exocrine leads to indigestion and malabsorption of protein and fats. This leads to loss of weight and vitamin deficiencies (A, D, E, K). There are foul-smelling flatus and greasy fatty stool due to the non-absorption of fat and proteins. The onset of insulin-dependent diabetes, mostly of sudden onset, is due to loss/reduced production of insulin from the pancreas.

A symptom is seen in some patients who develop the disease of the pancreas i.e in chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. This World Pancreatic Cancer Day learn more about pancreatic cancer, the symptoms, risk factors, the urgent need for early detection and treatment, as well as steps you can take to prevent or lower your chances of getting this deadly disease.

Risk factors for pancreatic cancer

- Smoking - increases the chances of pancreatic cancer by 20 to 30 per cent
- Obesity
- High intake of red meat and processed meat
- Family history of pancreatic cancer ( Hereditary pancreatic cancer)
- Diabetes for more than 5 years
- Environmental factors - wherein we have little control

Symptoms that may signal pancreatic problems

- Abdominal pain in the mid-abdomen radiating to the back,
- Loss of weight associated with the above pain abdomen
- Jaundice
- Weight loss
- Loss of appetite
- Fatty greasy stools
- Recent onset of diabetes mellitus
- Black coloured stool associated with intermittent jaundice on and off

When to consult a Specialist Doctor

- Persistent above abdominal symptoms of duration more than 2 months, not resolved by routine treatment and by basic investigations
- High-risk patients (obese, smokers, high alcohol intake, family history of pancreas cancer) with the above symptoms
- Unexplained weight loss and associated with jaundice

Special investigations to confirm a diagnosis

- Blood tests
- Ultrasound examination
- CT Scan for pancreas
- PET CT Scan to assess the spread of disease
- EUS guided biopsy to confirm the diagnosis

Treatment for pancreatic cancer

Surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy may all be used to treat pancreatic cancer. The most effective treatment for early-stage (resectable) pancreatic cancer is surgery to remove part, or all, of the pancreas, advises Macmillan Cancer Support.

Types of operations performed to treat pancreatic cancer

- Whipple operation (pancreaticoduodenectomy) for tumours of the head of pancreas, ampullary cancer, duodenal cancers.
- Distal Pancreatectomy for cancers of the body and tail of the pancreas, sometimes removed along with the spleen.