8 Pancreatic Cancer Signs You Might Be Ignoring.
Your skin looks yellow.
"Jaundice is one of the clearest symptoms of pancreatic cancer," says Christopher DiMaio,
MD, a gastroenterologist at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.
"Often, patients feel fine until one day a friend notices their eyes look yellow, then
they go to the doctor and find they have advanced pancreatic cancer."
Cancers that start near the head of the pancreas can block the bile duct, preventing bile from
reaching the intestines, where it helps break down fats and eventually leaves the body in
the stool.
This bile builds up and causes jaundice, which is yellowing of the skin or eyes.
It can also cause your skin to itch, according to the American Cancer Society.
These are other cancer symptoms women should never ignore and cancer signs men should never
ignore.
You experience abdominal or back pain.
Place the tip of your finger on the top of your abdomen, just below the breastbone.
Then imagine your finger pointing straight back through your body to the spine.
That's a common location that pancreatic cancer patients report feeling pain, says Dr. DiMaio.
"The pain is hard to describe, but a dull, internal pain in this area, or radiating around
the sides of your abdomen to the back, is a tip-off and you should get it checked out,"
he says.
Cancers that start in the body or tail of the pancreas can press on nearby organs, causing
pain.
If the cancer spreads to the nerves surrounding the pancreas, this can cause back pain.
Here are some more reasons your back might be hurting.
You have dark urine or greasy stools.
If your urine starts to look dark (brown or rust colored), this may signal a problem.
As bilirubin, a substance made by the liver that partly makes up bile, builds up in the
blood, urine darkens.
Here's what other urine changes can say about your health.
Clay-colored or greasy stools can also be symptoms of pancreatic cancer, as they can
be caused by cancer blocking the bile duct, says Dr. DiMaio.
You experience nausea or vomiting.
Cancer pressing on the far end of the stomach can cause a partial blockage, making it hard
for food to get through.
According to the American Cancer Society, this can cause nausea, vomiting, and pain
that tends to be worse after eating.
All of these things, therefore, could be symptoms of pancreatic cancer.
Here are the explanations behind 7 other common stomach pains.
You develop pancreatitis.
"Unexplained or chronic pancreatitis can be caused by a small tumor on the pancreas,"
says Dr. DiMaio.
Though pancreatitis is more commonly caused by gallstones, new medications, or alcohol
abuse, if you develop the condition and don't have any of those risk factors, it could be
something more serious, he says.
Don't miss these other signs of cancer in men that go ignored.
You have poor oral hygiene.
If your mouth is a mess of bad breath, inflamed gums, or loose teeth, it could be more than
bad hygiene.
"Pancreatic cancer patients are known to be susceptible to gum disease, cavities, and
poor oral health in general," according to researchers from NYU Langone Medical Center,
who conducted a study examining mouth bacteria of pancreatic cancer patients versus people
without.
They found that the presence of the same bacteria that has been tied to dental diseases like
periodontitis (inflammation of the gums) put participants at a 59 percent greater risk
of developing pancreatic cancer than those whose mouths didn't contain the bacteria.
Here's what else your teeth and mouth can reveal about your health.
You've recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
A diabetes diagnosis doesn't mean you'll get pancreatic cancer, but it is associated with
an increased risk.
One Mayo Clinic study found that 40 percent of pancreatic patients were diagnosed with
diabetes in the months before their cancer diagnosis.
The pancreas is responsible for creating insulin, so the early stages of the tumor may affect
the pancreas's ability to produce insulin, causing diabetes, says Dr. DiMaio.
Here's what else you should do right after a diabetes diagnosis.
You have unexplained weight loss.
If you suddenly have little to no appetite, or if you're losing weight without changing
your diet or exercise regimen, see your doctor; these are some of the common symptoms of pancreatic
cancer, says Dr. DiMaio.
Unexplained weight loss—or gain—is one thing that doctors themselves say you should
never ignore.