Pancreatic cancer is a devastating form of cancer that has the lowest five year survival rate of all cancers. The major difficulty is that pancreatic cancer is very difficult to detect in the early stages - when treatment is the most effective.
Causes and Risk Factors for Pancreatic Cancer
It is not known exactly what causes cancer of the pancreas. There are a number of causes and risk factors for pancreatic cancer. They are:
Smoking: It is not known exactly why but it is believed that up to a third of pancreatic cancers may be linked to smoking. Cigarettes, and it is believed, cigars and chewing tobacco all increase pancreatic cancer risk. Cigarette smoke contains a large number of carcinogens (cancer causing chemicals). It is these carcinogens that are thought to be responsible.
Diet: People with diet high in fats and sugar have a higher risk factor for pancreatic cancer.
Obesity: People who are obese have a higher risk of developing cancer of the pancreas.
Genetic factors: Cancer of the pancreas is a genetic disease and can run in some families. Pancreatic cancer can be inherited or DNA can mutate after we are born leading to cancer. People with a rare hereditary chronic pancreatitis have a higher risk of the disease.
Medical conditions: Long-term inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis) and diabetes has been linked to cancer of the pancreas.
Signs Symptoms cancer of the Pancreas
Symptoms include:
Weight loss
Abdominal pain
Back pain
Indigestion
Loss of appetite
Jaundice
Clay-colored stools
Nausea
Weakness
Fatigue
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Depression
Article Sources Include: The American Cancer Society, John Hopkins Pathology, National Cancer Institute