Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers for men and women. This type of cancer starts when the pancreas begins to grow uncontrollably. As the cells grow larger, they become malignant, and eventually the tumor can invade nearby organs, causing problems with digestion, weight loss, pain, and jaundice. Cancer is so lethal that about half of all people who have it die within a year of diagnosis. If it is not treated, more than 85% of patients will die within 5 years.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the hardest cancers to detect. Yet more than 90 percent of people diagnosed with pancreatic tumor will die within six months. Pancreatic tumor typically starts out slowly and gradually progresses over time. If you’re at high risk for pancreatic tumor, it’s important to know the warning signs of this disease and the steps you can take to help prevent its onset.

It is one of the deadliest types of cancer. It strikes more than 40,000 people every year in the United States. It is hard to detect early on, because many signs are similar to those of the flu or other illnesses. Most people do not realize they have this type of cancer until they already have stage four pancreatic tumor. They often have pain, fatigue, weight loss and nausea.

It is important to learn about pancreatic tumor. Here is some information to help you learn about this deadly disease.

Symptoms 

If you have any of the following risk factors, you should see your doctor for a screening test. These risk factors include being over age 50, having family members with pancreatic tumor, having diabetes or having been diagnosed with pancreatitis, being overweight or obese, smoking tobacco products, drinking alcohol (more than 1 drink per day), having never been physically active, having a history of pancreatitis, and being male. 

Pancreatic cancer symptoms include changes in appetite, weight loss, jaundice, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting.

Causes

A pancreas is a small organ located beneath the stomach. It is responsible for producing enzymes that help with the digestion of food. The pancreas produces the enzymes trypsinogen and chymotrypsinogen that together form the enzyme trypsin. Trypsin is used by the pancreas to break down proteins. These enzymes are stored in the pancreas until they are needed to perform their function. If these enzymes are produced in excess, they can damage the pancreas and cause problems. This condition is called pancreatitis. If the pancreas does not produce enough enzymes, then people can develop severe malnutrition. This condition is called hypopancreatic or pancreatic atrophy.

People often wonder why there is a difference between health conditions that happen over years (like diabetes) and health conditions that are acute (like appendicitis). The answer is because the body can repair itself much better when something is detected early. It is not possible to completely repair pancreatic damage and the pancreas stops working. That is why pancreatic tumor is very dangerous. It is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in men and the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women in the United States.

Pancreatic cancer survival rate

By that point, the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. In many cases, by the time pancreatic tumor is discovered, there is little the patient can do about it except try to live as long as possible.

Preventions

I was looking for some information on pancreatic tumor prevention. I came across this article about a study on the effect of coffee consumption on the risk of pancreatic tumor. So, I decided to check out the study. I’m glad I did. I was surprised to learn that drinking four cups of coffee per day increased the risk of pancreatic tumor by 65% compared to people who drank less than two cups per day.