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.
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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