The pancreas is a small gland located in the abdomen between the stomach and the intestines. It’s mainly made of a type of cell called an exocrine cell, which makes enzymes that help you digest food.

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Types of pancreatic tumors

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As many as 20 different types of tumors can be found in the pancreas. Most start in the pancreas ducts, small channels that carry digestive enzymes to the intestines. These cancers are often a type of adenocarcinoma that begins in the tissue lining the gland.

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Less commonly, pancreatic tumors arise in the islet cells. These pancreatic neuroendocrine (islet cell) tumors are a type of neuroendocrine tumor found in the pancreas.

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As a pancreatic tumor grows, it can invade nearby organs, such as the bile duct, intestines, or stomach. It can also move into neighboring blood vessels. Tumor cells can also break away and spread to the lymph nodes, liver, or elsewhere in the abdomen.

 

Risk Factors for pancreatic cancer

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People with a strong family history of pancreatic cancer are nine times more likely to develop it than others. Lifestyle habits can affect your risk for pancreatic cancer as well, some of them include: smoking or tobacco use, age, race and ethnicity, obesity, diabetes, chronic pancreatitis and environmental factors.

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Symptoms for pancreatic cancer

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There are no early warning signs for pancreatic cancer. Symptoms can be so vague that you may not notice them.

Some of the symptoms include: pain in the upper abdomen and back, nausea, vomiting, and unintended weight loss, a burning feeling in the stomach, inability to digest fatty foods, which can result in large, greasy stools, jaundice (a yellowing of the skin or the whites of the eyes) and itchiness, which can be caused when a tumor blocks the common bile duct.

 

Diagnosis for pancreatic cancer

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We use a variety of tests to find the most accurate information about a tumor and to decide on the best approach for you. We may recommend you have one or more of the following tests:

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• Blood Tests: liver (hepatic) function, CA 19-9, carcinoembryonic antigen.

• Diagnostic imaging tests: CT scans, MRI, magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, endoscopic ultrasound, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography

• Biopsy

 

Stages for pancreatic cancer

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• Stage I: The tumor is less than two centimeters across (roughly the size of a quarter) and completely contained within the pancreas.

• Stage II: The tumor has begun to grow outside of the pancreas but has not invaded a major blood vessel. Stage II pancreatic cancer may have spread to nearby lymph nodes but not to farther locations in the body.

• Stage III: The tumor is growing outside of the pancreas and has moved into nearby large blood vessels or major nerves.

• Stage IV: The cancer has spread to parts of the body considered far from the pancreas, such as the liver or inner lining of the abdomen (called the peritoneum).

 

Treatment for pancreatic cancer

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Receiving more than one kind of therapy at a time is the most effective way to fight pancreatic cancer. Treatments can include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.