Pancreatic cancer is a malignant mass formed by the irregular division, proliferation and growth of cells in the organ called the pancreas.
What is the Pancreas?
The pancreas is an organ located inside the rib cage. It is a secretion-producing gland located behind the stomach and connected to the duodenum, and the hormones it produces are hormones that help digest fats and proteins. The pancreas also secretes the hormone insulin.
What are the Causes of Pancreatic Cancer?
- Smoking
- Obesity
- Genetic factors
- Psychological problems
- Family history of cancer
- Diabetes
- High intake of caffeine (coffee-tea)
- Advanced age
- Irregularities in nutrition
- A diet lacking fiber and protein foods such as fruits and vegetables
- Pancreatitis (chronic)
Causes of pancreatic cancer.
What are the symptoms of pancreatic cancer?
- Chronic weakness, fatigue and weakness
- Nausea is observed
- Weight loss is observed
- Intestinal problems such as diarrhea may occur
- Digestive problems such as bloating and indigestion occur
- Back and stomach pain is observed
- Darkening of urine is observed
- Diabetes can occur due to impaired insulin secretion
- Psychiatric problems such as depression may occur
- Most patients have jaundice
Pancreatic cancer symptoms vary depending on where the cancer is located in the pancreas. Pancreatic cancer symptoms may not be symptomatic at an early stage, but symptoms appear as the cancer progresses. Therefore, pancreatic cancer is very rarely diagnosed at an early stage.
Pancreatic Cancer Treatment
As with any cancer, early diagnosis is very important in pancreatic cancer. Because pancreatic cancer is not a type of cancer that can show itself immediately. After a certain period of time after pancreatic cancer occurs, cancer gives symptoms in the form of indigestion, bloating and stomach pain. But the individual does not care about these symptoms. As the cancer continues to progress, the symptoms continue to increase. At this point, the patient applies to a specialist. Pancreatic cancer is diagnosed with scans. Blood tests and imaging techniques are used to diagnose pancreatic cancer. These techniques provide information about the stage of the disease and the size of the mass. Since pancreatic cancer is detected in advanced stages, it is usually detected by scans that it has spread to other organs. The treatment plan is prepared taking this into consideration. The aim of pancreatic cancer treatment is to first treat the symptoms before the disease. By treating the symptoms of pancreatic cancer, pancreatic cancer can be prevented from progressing to an advanced stage. If the pancreatic cancer cell can be easily removed, the cancer cell can be removed by surgical intervention. If the mass is quite large, it is reduced in size with chemotherapy or radiotherapy so that it can be removed surgically. Chemotherapy continues regularly after treatment. In addition to this, a balanced diet, regular exercise, preventing weight gain and not smoking are recommended.
