Your pancreas is an organ in the upper part of your belly that makes digestive juices. Your pancreas also releases insulin and other hormones that help control your blood sugar.
What is pancreatic cancer?
Cancer is the out-of-control growth of cells in your body. Cells are the tiny building blocks of your body. Cells specialize in what they do. Different organs are made of different kinds of cells. Almost any kind of cell can become cancerous.
Pancreatic cancer is cancer that starts in your pancreas.
What causes pancreatic cancer?
You have a higher chance of getting pancreatic cancer if you:
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Smoke
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Have chronic pancreatitis
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Have family members with pancreatic cancer
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Are black
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Are male
What are the symptoms of pancreatic cancer?
Pancreatic cancer doesn’t usually cause symptoms until it has spread. Then, your symptoms may include:
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Severe upper belly pain, which you might also feel in the middle of your back—it may feel better when you lean forward or curl up
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Weight loss
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Jaundice (yellow-colored skin and a yellow color to the white parts of your eyes)
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Bloating or diarrhea
Many people with pancreatic cancer also get diabetes because their pancreas can't produce enough insulin.
How can doctors tell if I have pancreatic cancer?
Doctors look for pancreatic cancer using:
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CT scan of the abdomen (belly)
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MRCP (a special kind of MRI that looks at your liver, gallbladder, bile ducts, pancreas, or pancreatic duct)
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Blood tests
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Biopsy (which involves taking out part of the tissue to look at under a microscope)
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Surgery
How do doctors treat pancreatic cancer?
If doctors don’t think the cancer has spread, they may do:
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Surgery to remove your pancreas and sometimes part of your small intestine
If the cancer has spread, surgery doesn't help. If it has spread only to nearby tissues, doctors may give you chemotherapy and radiation therapy. If the cancer has spread widely, doctors treat your symptoms to try to make you more comfortable. Treatment for symptoms includes:
