Pancreatic Cancer: What is it?

Written by: Dr. Jeffrey Barke

With the loss of one of the greatest minds of our generation to pancreatic cancer, it raises questions about the disease that claimed the man who has changed the way we talk, compute, listen to music or even read.

Steve Jobs passed away on Oct. 5 after suffering respiratory arrest resulting from pancreatic cancer that had spread to other organs. The co-founder, and former chairman and chief executive officer of Apple Inc. was 56.

Everyone has known someone with one of the more common types of cancer of those that receive more attention and funding – breast cancer, prostate cancer, leukemia – but the full weight of pancreatic cancer seems a bit more difficult to grasp. Most people can identify the affected body parts or understand a disease that attacks the blood, however, most Americans have a difficult time pointing to where their pancreas resides, let alone what it does.

What is the pancreas?
The pancreas is a six inch long organ surrounded by the stomach, small intestine, liver and spleen in the upper middle of the abdomen. It looks like a thin pear and is responsible for creating pancreatic juices to help digest food and produce hormones for the body, such as insulin.

he pancreatic juices contain enzymes through a system of ducts. The main duct joins with the common bile duct with the liver and gallbladder, which carries bile to digest fat before emptying out into the first part of the small intestine. The hormones produced by the pancreas help the body use or store energy for food.

What goes wrong?
Pancreatic cancer occurs with cells in your pancreas begin to grow out of control and continue to live after normal cells would typically die. The extra cells can form a tumor.

There are two primary types of pancreatic cancer, one that forms in the ducts that produce digestive juices and another that forms in the hormone producing cells, with more cases of the former, instead of the latter.

Pancreatic cancer typically spreads rapidly and is rarely detected in its early stages. Unfortunately, it is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the country.

What are the symptoms?
In its early stages, pancreatic cancer may present itself with a yellowing of the skin, mucus membranes or the eyes, called jaundice. Besides the pigmentation change, you could experience a change in digestive habits, loss of appetite and weight loss, fatigue and weakness, nausea and vomiting or pain in the area where the pancreas is located. Other possible symptoms include back pain, blood clots and indigestion.

Are you at risk?
According to the National Cancer Institute, in the past year 44,030 new cases of pancreatic cancer were diagnosed and there were 37,660 deaths. Although a rare form of cancer, risk increases with age, especially over the age of 60, those of African American descent, being overweight or obese, chronic inflammation of the pancreas, diabetes, family history and smoking.

Prevention and outreach
November is the designated awareness month for pancreatic cancer, but with current events, there is nothing wrong with starting early. The earlier a diagnosis is made, the easier it is for your physician to determine a proactive and effective plan of care. Treatment depends on the type of cancer, the stage of cancer, age and well-being, and pancreatic cancer is usually only curable when found in its earliest stages. Surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy are the most common treatment types and are to remove the cancer and relieve painful symptoms that the cancer is causing if possible. Besides living a healthy lifestyle, the best defense is to avoid smoking.

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network works to educate the public about the disease to better identify the symptoms to catch and diagnose the cancer in its earliest stages.

Pancreatic cancer has the lowest relative survival rate of all the cancers tracked by both the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute, according to the network. It is the only cancer with a five-year relative survival rate in the single digits at just six percent. 94% of patients will die within five years of diagnosis – only 6% survive more than five years and 74% of pancreatic cancer patients die within the first year of diagnosis.

To learn more, visit the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network or become an advocate for additional federal funding for education and research for the fourth leading cancer killer.

Unfortunately there is much about cancer that we do not understand. My belief is that we are all dealt a genetic hand. Some are dealt four aces and can live to 110 despite very poor self-care. Others, despite almost perfect self-care, need to bluff their way to get to age 60. Most of us are somewhere in the middle; that is how we take care of ourselves will determine the genetic expression of disease. I further believe that inflammation in our body is the foundation upon which our genetic expression of disease occurs: cardiovascular disease, diabetes and even cancer. Control inflammation and you control the genetic expression of disease. Inflammation is best controlled by our nutrition and secondarily by exercise and supplements. See my previous blogs to better understand anti-inflammatory nutrition.

The pancreatic cancer that plagued Steve Jobs was the rarest form of the disease and affects only 5% of those with pancreatic cancer, but his passing serves as a reminder of the lack of early treatment and screening options.