Pancreatic Cancer
About the disease
The pancreas secretes enzymes to aid digestion as well as hormones (such as insulin) to help regulate the storage and use of glucose (sugar).
Pancreatic cancer is often not discovered until it has spread to other parts of the body. Signs and symptoms are seldom apparent when the disease is in its early. The pancreas is located near the stomach, liver, gallbladder, spleen, bile ducts, and small intestine. About 300 Albertans are diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer every year.
Risk Factors
Risk factors are determined by analyzing the numbers of patients with cancer in a larger population and trying to find differences between those individuals who develop cancer and those who do not. The Alberta Cancer Board’s Tomorrow Project, for instance, is tracking more than 50,000 Albertans over a fifty-year period to learn more about who develops cancer and why.
Most pancreatic cancers occur in people older than 65 and are more common in men than in women. The biggest single risk factor is smoking: one in three people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer are smokers.
Other factors that may increase the risk of developing pancreatic cancer include:
- Male gender
- Family history
- Ethnic background
Factors that may decrease the risk of developing pancreatic cancer include:
- Diet low in animal fats and high in fruits and vegetables
- A healthy body weight
Recurrent episodes of pancreatitis (a condition where an inflamed pancreas causes abdominal pain, nausea, and fever) increases the possibility of developing pancreatic cancer. Some families have a higher risk of pancreatic cancer if they also have a genetic link to nonpolyposis colon cancer (HNPCC), familial breast cancer, and atypical multiple mole-melanoma syndrome (skin cancer).
Inherited tendencies account for an estimated 10% of pancreatic cancers.
Detection and Diagnosis
There are no effective screening tests.
Symptoms are often vague, making it easy to misdiagnose. The most common symptoms include abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, weight loss, digestive problems, jaundice, severe itching, back pain, and general fatigue.
Doctors will often begin with basic blood tests and an ultrasound of the abdomen or a CT scan. A biopsy is the only way to confirm the presence of cancer and usually involves passing a thin needle through the skin and into the pancreas to allow the removal of cells for study.
Doctors can also use an endoscope, a device that is passed through the throat, stomach, and upper part of the small intestine. It allows them to see the openings of the pancreatic and bile ducts.
Treatment
Treatment options for pancreatic cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, and occasionally radiation therapy.
Surgery can remove tumours confined to the pancreas in less than 20% of patients. The most common procedure, a pancreatoduodenectomy, involves removing the head of the pancreas, along with the duodenum (the upper part of the small intestine), gallbladder, the end of the common bile duct, and sometimes part of the stomach. The risks include infection and bleeding. A total pancreatectomy is rarely used and involves removal of the entire pancreas as well as the bile duct, gallbladder, spleen, parts of the small intestine and stomach, and the nearby lymph nodes.
Chemotherapy cannot eliminate pancreatic cancer, but may help to relieve symptoms and improve survival.
Radiation therapy, concentrated beams of high-energy X-rays, is sometimes used.
Links:
National Comprehensive Cancer Network (U.S.) guide to treatment decisions with links to other sites
The National Pancreas Foundation (U.S.) -- a national advocacy and educational organization for pancreatic disease
American Pancreatic Association -- an American association for pancreatic cancer
Cancer Research UK -- radiotherapy for pancreatic cancer
Mayo Clinic -- guide to hoe to treat a pancreatic cancer
Learn more
Support for pancreatic cancer patients
- Psychosocial and spiritual support, Edmonton,
Cross Cancer Institute
- Phone: (780) 432-8703 or 8704
- Psychosocial and spiritual support, Calgary,
Holy Cross site of the Tom Baker Cancer Centre
- Compassion House
How you can help
Other Resources
Canadian Cancer Society
American Society of Clinical Oncology