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?
Unfortunately, we
don't usually see the signs of
pancreatic cancer until it's
in more advanced stages.
When present, symptoms may include:
Abdominal pain that radiates to the back.
A loss of appetite
or unintentional weight loss.
Jaundice, which is the yellowing
of your skin or eyes.
Light colored stools. Dark colored
urine. Particularly itchy skin.
Diabetes that's becoming
unusually difficult to control.
Blood clots or fatigue.
How is it diagnosed?
If your doctors think you
may have pancreatic cancer,
they may recommend one
or more diagnostic tests.
For instance, imaging tests like
an ultrasound, CT scan,
MRI, or PET scan,
can help your doctor see
a clearer picture of your internal organs.
An endoscopic ultrasound, or EUS,
is when the doctor passes
a tiny camera down the esophagus
and into the stomach to
get a close-up view of the pancreas.
During the EUS, the doctor might collect
a biopsy of the tissue for further testing.
Sometimes pancreatic cancer can shed
specific proteins called tumor
markers in your blood.
So your doctors may request blood tests to
identify elevation of these markers,
one of which is called CA 19-9.
If a diagnosis is confirmed,
the next step is to determine
the extent or stage of the cancer.
The stages are numbered one through four and
may need to be
determined by additional testing.
Feel free to ask lots of
questions during this process.
Or get a second opinion to feel the most
confident and empowered
moving into treatment.
How is it treated?
When recommending treatment
for pancreatic cancer,
your doctor is considering many factors,
including your overall health
and personal preferences.
They may recommend one or
a combination of the following treatments:
Chemotherapy uses
drugs that release chemicals that
enter the body and kill
cancerous cells that may be throughout.
Radiation, similarly kills the cancer cells,
but with high-energy beams
directed at the tumor.
Surgery is used to physically remove
the cancer and
the immediate surrounding area.
Ask your doctor if you qualify for
clinical trials that test new treatments.
And lastly, there is palliative care.
This care is provided by a team of
doctors, nurses, social workers,
and other trained professionals
who specialize in providing
much needed relief from the pain
and unpleasant symptoms of a serious illness.
What now?
Getting diagnosed with
a life-threatening illness can be
devastating to
both the patient and their loved ones.
But we have some of the following suggestions
that may help patients cope:
Learn about your condition.
Knowledge is power and
information can make you feel
more confident in
your treatment decisions. Find support.
This can mean a support system
of family and friends,
a cancer support group of people
going through the same experience,
or qualified counselor like
your therapist or religious leader.
Lean on those around you when you're feeling
helpless, overwhelmed, or uncertain.
You may want to consider hospice care,
which provides comfort and support to
terminally ill patients and their loved ones.
If you'd like to learn even
more about pancreatic cancer,
watch our other related videos or
visit Mayo Clinic.org. We wish you well.