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Pancreatic cancer arises when cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a mass. These cancerous cells have the ability to invade other parts of the body. A number of types of pancreatic cancer are known.
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- Risk factors
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What is pancreatic cancer? A Mayo Clinic expert explains
Learn more about pancreatic cancer from Mayo Clinic surgical oncologist Chee-Chee Stucky, M.D.
Hi. I'm Dr. Chee-Chee Stucky, a surgical oncologist at Mayo Clinic. In this video, we'll cover the basics of pancreatic cancer: What is it? Who gets it? What are the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment? Whether you're looking for answers for yourself or someone you love, we're here to give you the best information available. Understanding pancreatic cancer starts with understanding the pancreas. This small, fish-shaped organ sits behind the stomach, producing enzymes that aid digestion and hormones that regulate blood sugar. Pancreatic cancer typically starts in the ducts of the pancreas. Small changes in the cellular DNA result in uncontrolled multiplication and accumulation of cells in clusters called tumors. If untreated, these cancer cells can spread outside of the pancreas to other parts of the body.
Who gets it?
While anyone can get pancreatic cancer, there are certain risk factors to be aware of. Most pancreatic cancer is diagnosed after age 65. Smoking, diabetes, chronic pancreatitis or inflammation of the pancreas, family history of pancreatic cancer, and certain genetic syndromes are all known risk factors. Carrying extra weight that is unhealthy for your body may also be a contributing factor. New research has found that the specific combination of smoking, diabetes and poor diet increases the risk of pancreatic cancer the most beyond any one factor alone.
What are the symptoms?
Pancreatic cancer often doesn't cause symptoms until the disease is advanced. When they happen, signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer may include:
•Belly pain that spreads to the sides or back.
•Loss of appetite.
•Weight loss.
•Yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes, called jaundice.
•Light-colored or floating stools.
Understanding the pancreas
The pancreas is about 6 inches (15 centimeters) long and looks something like a pear lying on its side. It releases hormones, including insulin. These hormones help the body process the sugar in the foods you eat. The pancreas also makes digestive juices to help the body digest food and take in nutrients.
How pancreatic cancer forms
Pancreatic cancer happens when cells in the pancreas develop changes in their DNA. A cell's DNA holds the instructions that tell a cell what to do. In healthy cells, the instructions tell the cells to grow and multiply at a set rate. The cells die at a set time. In cancer cells, the changes give different instructions. The changes tell the cancer cells to make many more cells quickly. Cancer cells can keep living when healthy cells would die. This causes there to be too many cells. The cancer cells might form a mass called a tumor. The tumor can grow to invade and destroy healthy body tissue. In time, cancer cells can break away and spread to other parts of the body. Most pancreatic cancer begins in the cells that line the ducts of the pancreas. This type of cancer is called pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma or pancreatic exocrine cancer. Less often, cancer can form in the hormone-producing cells or the neuroendocrine cells of the pancreas. These types of cancer are called pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors or pancreatic endocrine cancer.
Factors that might raise the risk of pancreatic cancer include:
•Smoking.
•Type 2 diabetes.
•Chronic inflammation of the pancreas, called pancreatitis.
•Family history of DNA changes that can increase cancer risk. These include changes in the BRCA2 gene, Lynch syndrome and familial atypical multiple mole melanoma (FAMMM) syndrome.
•Family history of pancreatic cancer.
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography
Screening for people with a high risk of pancreatic cancer
Screening uses tests to look for signs of pancreatic cancer in people who don't have symptoms. It might be an option if you have a very high risk of pancreatic cancer. Your risk might be high if you have a strong family history of pancreatic cancer or if you have an inherited DNA change that increases the risk of cancer. Pancreatic cancer screening might involve imaging tests, such as MRI and ultrasound. These tests are generally repeated every year. The goal of screening is to find pancreatic cancer when it's small and most likely to be cured. Research is ongoing, so it's not yet clear whether screening can lower the risk of dying of pancreatic cancer. There are risks to screening. This includes the chance of finding something that requires surgery but later turns out to not be cancer. Talk about the benefits and risks of pancreatic cancer screening with your health care team. Together you can decide whether screening is right for you.
Genetic testing for cancer risk
If you have a family history of pancreatic cancer, discuss it with a health care professional. The health professional can review your family history and help you understand whether genetic testing might be right for you. Genetic testing can find DNA changes that run in families and increase the risk of cancer. If you're interested in genetic testing, you might be referred to a genetic counselor or other health care professional trained in genetics.
Ways to lower risk
You might reduce your risk of pancreatic cancer if you:
Learn about pancreatic cancer, a type of cancer that begins in the cells of the pancreas. Find out the risk factors, signs, complications and treatment options from Mayo Clinic experts.
- Pancreatic cancer is aggressive and causes nonspecific symptoms. "For 50% of patients at the time of their diagnosis, we find that the cancer has spread outside the pancreas to other organs, meaning stage four metastatic pancreas cancer," says Dr. Truty.
- Diagnosing pancreatic cancer is a multi-step process. When a doctor suspects a patient might have pancreatic cancer, the first step is imaging tests to visualize the internal organs.
- The cause of most pancreatic cancers is unclear. Doctors have identified some factors that may increase the risk of pancreatic cancer, including smoking, diabetes, chronic inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis), obesity, and family history, but the cause is not clear.
- There's no good way to screen for pancreatic cancer. Doctors don't yet have a good way to screen large portions of the population for pancreatic cancer.
Pancreatic cancer is a type of cancer that starts in the pancreas, an organ that helps digest food and control blood sugar. Learn about the different types of pancreatic cancer, how they are diagnosed and treated, and their outlook.
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