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  • Pancreatic Cancer
    The early stages of this cancer do not usually produce symptoms, so the disease is generally advanced when it is diagnosed. Its often referred to as a "silent killer". The estimated 5-year prevalence of people in the world living with pancreatic cancer is 4.1 per 100,000. This cancer is almost always fatal.
Submitted by PatientsEngage on 6 January 2018
Image of Pancreas in the human skeleton

What is Pancreatic Cancer

The pancreas is a 6 inch long organ seated behind the stomach in the upper abdomen. The pancreas is responsible for producing digestive enzymes and hormones such as insulin and glucagon.

When cells in the pancreas grow uncontrollably forming a tumor, it is termed Pancreatic Carcinoma. The pancreas is divided into head, body and tail. Cancer can grow anywhere in the pancreas. 60-70% of all tumors occur in the head; 20-25% in the body or tail, and rest are spread throughout.

Seen mostly in men, it is termed as one of the most deadliest cancers because of its silent nature! The testing and any procedures to determine the stage of the cancer are done at the same time as diagnosis to avoid wasting any time. Staging refers to the process of establishing spread and location of the cancer cells.

Read here to understand staging of Pancreatic Cancer 

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    When Cancer Does not Bring to Mind Mortality
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    What Are The Side Effects Of Radiation Therapy?
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    Signs and Symptoms of Pancreatic cancer
    Pancreatic is known for not presenting any symptoms early on, making it one of the most difficult cancers to catch in early stages. Symptoms when they do show depend on the exact location and type of cancer. Symptoms are also non-specific and can be quite ambiguous. Symptoms can be due to other gastrointestinal conditions and often seem to come and go. These include: Abdominal and back pain; is usually worse after eating or while lying down. Sitting forward may seem to provide relief.…
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    Treatment of Pancreatic cancer
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    Tests and Diagnosis of Pancreatic cancer
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