How to recognize pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is quite difficult to detect, because it almost does not manifest itself at an early stage. However, there are a number of symptoms that should alert.

Pancreatic cancer - particularly serious form of cancer, partly because its symptoms are difficult to be determined. Overall survival at least 4% of the patients suffering from the most common type of this disease.

Pancreatic length 15 cm, it is too far into the abdominal cavity between the stomach and the spine. During the examination, the doctor can not detect small tumors in it. In the early stages of cancer do not cause any symptoms. When the symptoms of pancreatic cancer occur, they are often mistaken for some other condition.

The only way to control pancreatic cancer - surgically removing it before the disease spreads to other organs. However, most people have no symptoms until this stage.
The exact cause of pancreatic cancer is unknown, although there are a number of factors associated with the disease. Identifying them is becoming a major challenge and is crucial to recovery. People with small tumor of the pancreas (for successful operation!) Have equal chances of survival of 18-24% in the next 5 years.

Pancreatic Cancer Symptoms
According to Dr. Elizabeth Poplin, Cancer Institute of New Jersey, pancreatic cancer usually develops without symptoms, but there are a few of its notable features. Among them:

• Pain in the back. "Since the pancreas is located close to the spine, increasing in the tumor it can press on the nerve roots in the spine, causing pain in the lower back," - said Elizabeth Poplin. According to the American Society of Cancer pain may be continuous or intermittent. First, it occurs in the upper abdomen, it extends to the back and increases during a meal. However, most people back pain caused by other problems. 
• Isolation of bile. Sometimes patients suffering from pancreatic cancer for the first time go to the doctor when the secretion of bile, which is attached to eyes and skin yellow. The reason is that the liver produces brownish substance called bilirubin. It falls into the small intestine through the common bile duct. The wide end or head of the pancreas is located just next to it.

If the tumor develops in the pancreas, it can put pressure on the bile duct, preventing ingress of bilirubin in the intestine and causing a rise in its level in the body. Excess bilirubin causes yellowing of the skin and itching.
Sometimes the bile is formed by a small tumor in the pancreas head, enabling early detection. But if the cancer developed in another part, it does not cause symptoms fast.

• Weight loss. The symptoms of pancreatic cancer include loss of appetite, premature satiety and weight loss when you do not try to lose weight.
• Fatigue. In cancer, pancreatic you can also be less energy.
• Changing the chair. Obstruction of the common bile duct causes a change feces. According to the American Society for the fight against cancer chair will become bright and slimy.

If your doctor thinks you might have symptoms of pancreatic cancer, it is necessary to check the yellowness of the eyes and skin, as well as to test the abdominal cavity in search of warning signs around the pancreas and adjacent organs. Can you pass urine and blood samples to determine the level of bilirubin. When plugging the common bile duct into the blood and urine will be increasing its number.

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