General:
Pancreatic cancer is a malignant tumor of the pancreas. It has been called a "silent" disease because early pancreatic cancer usually does not cause sypmtoms. Pancreatic cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the US and the eighth worldwide. The risk of developing pancreatic cancer increases with age.
Treatment:
A surgery as option as a treament depends on the stage of the cancer. The Whipple procedure is the most common attempted curative surgical treatment for cancers involving the head of the pancreas.
A radiation can be considered in several situation. On situation is the addition of radiation therapy after potentially curative surgery.
chemotherapy
Symptoms:
~pain in the upper abdomen
~loss of appetite
~weight loss
~clinical depression
~yellow tint to whites of the eyes or yellowish skin
~diabetes mellitus or elevated blood sugar levels
Prognosis:
~for all stages combined, the 1-year relative survival rate is 25% and the
5-year survival is estimated as less than 5% to 6%
~for local disease, the 5-year survival is approximately 20%
~locally advanced and metastatic disease, the median survival is about
10 and 6 months respectively, without active treatment 3-5 months
Pancreatic cancer is a malignant tumor of the pancreas. It has been called a "silent" disease because early pancreatic cancer usually does not cause sypmtoms. Pancreatic cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the US and the eighth worldwide. The risk of developing pancreatic cancer increases with age.
Treatment:
A surgery as option as a treament depends on the stage of the cancer. The Whipple procedure is the most common attempted curative surgical treatment for cancers involving the head of the pancreas.
A radiation can be considered in several situation. On situation is the addition of radiation therapy after potentially curative surgery.
chemotherapy
Symptoms:
~pain in the upper abdomen
~loss of appetite
~weight loss
~clinical depression
~yellow tint to whites of the eyes or yellowish skin
~diabetes mellitus or elevated blood sugar levels
Prognosis:
~for all stages combined, the 1-year relative survival rate is 25% and the
5-year survival is estimated as less than 5% to 6%
~for local disease, the 5-year survival is approximately 20%
~locally advanced and metastatic disease, the median survival is about
10 and 6 months respectively, without active treatment 3-5 months
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