Yes, a cancerous tumor can often be surgically removed from the pancreas, especially if detected early and localized, offering the best chance for a cure, but it's major surgery, usually combined with chemo/radiation, and depends heavily on tumor location, size, and if it's spread to major vessels or other organs. Types of surgery include the Whipple procedure (head) or distal pancreatectomy (tail), involving removal of surrounding organs, with reconstruction needed.
Pancreatic cancer life expectancy is generally poor due to late detection, with a combined 5-year survival rate around 13-14%, but this varies greatly by stage: localized cancer has a 44% 5-year survival, regional is 16%, and distant (spread) drops to 3%. Early detection significantly improves outcomes, with some early-stage patients surviving years longer, but the overall prognosis remains challenging because symptoms often appear late.
Surgery has long been the only curative treatment for pancreatic cancer, but it's still risky and has a high mortality rate. Only about 20% of pancreatic cancers are resectable. Another 30% are locally advanced and therefore inoperable unless first treated aggressively with chemotherapy to downstage the disease.
Jaundice and related symptoms
Jaundice is yellowing of the eyes and skin. Most people with pancreatic cancer (and nearly all people with ampullary cancer) will have jaundice as one of their first symptoms. Jaundice is caused by the buildup of bilirubin, a dark yellow-brown substance made in the liver.
Pancreatic cancer can sometimes be cured, but it is a particularly difficult cancer to treat. If it is diagnosed early the chance of curing pancreatic cancer is higher, but once it has spread that becomes much more difficult.
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.
We estimate that the average T1-stage pancreatic cancer progresses to T4 stage in just over 1 year.
"Chronic, prolonged changes in weight or digestion could be a warning sign of an earlier-stage pancreatic cancer. Especially if you have a history of smoking, it's important to recognize these symptoms and get evaluated for pancreatic cancer before the disease is at an advanced state."
Pancreatic cancer often spreads to the liver, abdominal wall, lungs, bones or faraway lymph nodes. This is also called stage IV cancer. Though the cancer has spread to other areas of the body, it is still called pancreatic cancer because that is where it started.
Avoid high-fat foods, such as: Chocolate, whole milk, ice cream, processed cheese, and egg yolks. Fried, deep fried, or buttered foods. Sausage, salami, and bacon.
A small number of autopsy studies of resected and unresected patients have shown that death from PDAC is most commonly due to DMs, typically involving the liver and peritoneum.
The pancreas is located next to important blood vessels that supply blood to the liver and drain blood from the intestine. Often, cancer in the pancreas spreads into these vessels. If the pancreatic tumor cannot be completely separated from these blood vessels, many surgeons considered it unresectable.
You can have pancreatic cancer for years, even a decade or more, without knowing because early symptoms are vague (like back pain, indigestion, weight loss) or absent, with some signs only appearing once it's advanced or spread. It can take a long time to develop, but once it progresses, it can become aggressive, with jaundice (yellow skin/eyes) often being a critical, later-stage symptom that warrants immediate medical attention.
Unfortunately, chemotherapy doesn't help everyone with pancreatic cancer. Some people will feel better with treatment and some may live longer. But some people having chemotherapy won't get much benefit at all. You might want to consider the benefits and disadvantages of treatment before deciding whether to have it.
Rapid spread
Additionally, cancerous cells can break away from the primary tumor in the pancreas, enter the bloodstream or lymphatic system, travel throughout the body and form secondary tumors in distant organs and tissues, such as the liver, lungs and peritoneum.
Patients with pancreatic cancer often have trouble digesting foods high in sugar. Foods such as soda, cake, candy or desserts can increase blood sugar levels and often don't provide nutritional benefit. Avoid these foods, and replace them with foods of high nutritional value.
You might be more likely to get it if you: are over the age of 65 – it's not very common in people under 40. have certain medical conditions, such as chronic pancreatitis.
In most cases, surgery is the first method of treatment of pancreatic cancer to be considered. However, in many cases surgery cannot be performed or is insufficient to control the disease. In such patients, proton therapy for pancreatic cancer treatment can be helpful as well as chemotherapy.
Conclusions: While the overall survival for all pancreatic cancer is dismal, lesions in the body and tail of pancreas have a statistically poorer survival compared to head lesions. Body and tail lesions were also significantly associated with a more advanced stage of disease.
7 Pancreatic Cancer Symptoms and Signs You Should Know
Itching can happen when pancreatic cancer causes a blockage in the bile duct, which can also lead to jaundice. In these cases, itching tends to be generalized. But I have seen pancreatic cancer patients with intense itching only on their trunk area, or/and only on the arms and legs.
Tobacco use. Smoking is one of the most important risk factors for pancreatic cancer. The risk of getting pancreatic cancer is about twice as high among people who smoke compared to those who have never smoked. About 25% of pancreatic cancers are thought to be caused by cigarette smoking.
Swayze died at his home on September 14, 2009, at age 57, 20 months after his cancer diagnosis. His publicist confirmed to CNN that he had died of pancreatic cancer.
Pancreatic cancer's exact cause is unknown, but it's linked to genetic mutations and various risk factors, primarily smoking, obesity, older age, long-term diabetes, and chronic pancreatitis, with heavy alcohol use, family history, certain chemicals (pesticides, dyes), and infections also increasing risk. These factors damage pancreatic cells, leading to DNA errors and uncontrolled growth, though some people develop it without known risks.
It's possible to live without a pancreas. But when the entire pancreas is removed, people are left without the cells that make insulin and other hormones that help maintain safe blood sugar levels. These people develop diabetes, which can be hard to manage because they are totally dependent on insulin shots.