Pancreatic cancer starts in the tissues of your pancreas, a large body that lies horizontally behind the lower abdomen. Pancreatic cancer mainly affects men aged between 35 and 70, is the fourth leading cause of cancer mortality (after lung cancer, colorectal cancer and breast cancer). Pancreatic cancer is usually an adenocarcinoma and it usually arises from the pancreatic duct cells forming the body of the pancreas.
Cause of pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer is caused by damage to genes, but no one knows exactly why these injuries occur. Suggest that it is linked to exposure to carcinogens such as cigarettes, foods rich in fats and proteins and food additives. Possible predisposing factors are chronic pancreatitis, diabetes mellitus and chronic alcoholism.
There is some evidence that people who eat lots of fruits and vegetables are at greater risk of pancreatic cancer. Obesity can lead to a slightly increased risk of pancreatic cancer. Some industrial chemicals known as chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents have been linked to pancreatic cancer, but it is unlikely to be an important factor. Other chemicals and exposures have been associated with increased risk of pancreatic cancer in some studies include pesticides, radiation, nickel, chromium and iron.
The average age of onset of pancreatic cancer is between 70 to 80, but heavy smokers and heavy drinkers present with pancreatic cancer an average of seven to 10 years earlier than the rest of the population.
Signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer
The most common weight loss, abdominal pain or back pain, jaundice and diarrhea.
Other more general effects include fever, skin lesions, depression, anxiety and a premonition of impending death. Ascites (excess fluid in the abdomen) may be a sign of pancreatic tumors.
Diagnosis
He is very hard to diagnose pancreatic cancer as the pancreas is so deep in the body and symptoms vary according to exactly where the tumor and pancreatic cells or pancreatic function is affected by a tumor or cancer. Unfortunately, symptoms of pancreatic cancer may be somewhat vague and diffuse, and may be due to many other common and less serious.
Pancreatic cancer typically spreads rapidly and is seldom detected at an early stage, which is a major reason why there is a major cause of cancer deaths. Pancreatic cancer specialists believe that everyone over 50 who develop diabetes and unexplained weight loss should be studied for other pancreatic disease. Courvoisier sign defines the presence of jaundice and painlessly enlarged gallbladder as strongly indicative of pancreatic cancer and can be used to distinguish pancreatic cancer from gallstones.
Treatment
The treatment of pancreatic cancer depends on the stage and location of the cancer, your age, your general health and personal preferences. The first case of pancreatic cancer is to remove the cancer, if possible. Where this is not an option, can focus on the prevention of pancreatic cancer from growing or causing more damage. Pancreatic cancer is relatively resistant to medical treatment and the only potentially curative treatment is surgery. Radiation therapy for pancreatic cancer can relieve pain but does not affect patient survival.
Gemcitabine has been approved by the FDA in the United States in 1998 after a clinical trial reported improved quality of life of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Management of pain and other symptoms is an important element in the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer.
Forecast
Pancreatic cancer often have a poor prognosis, although early diagnosis and the median survival time from diagnosis to death is probably the worst of all forms of cancer. The best predictors of long-term survival after surgery is a tumor diameter less than 3 cm, node negative, the negative resection margins, and diploid tumor DNA content.
Because of the difficulty of diagnosis is the aggressive nature of pancreatic cancer and the limited available systemic treatments, five years survival for patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma, only about 5%. For cancer of the pancreas, which can not be completely removed by surgery, or cancer that has spread beyond the pancreas, cure is not possible at this time and the average survival is usually less than 1 year .

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Tags: hydrocarbon solvents, nickel chromium, signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer

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