Every cancer diagnosis starts a difficult battle — and a battle against pancreatic cancer can be notoriously tough. To date, pancreatic cancer accounts for less than 3% of all cancer diagnoses, but it also ranks as the third deadliest behind lung and colorectal cancer.
“Part of the reason pancreatic cancer is so lethal is because there are few symptoms indicating that the disease is present,” says David Kwon, M.D., medical director of surgical oncology at Henry Ford Cancer and clinical director of the Pancreas Cancer Center.
Here's what to know about this silent disease. Below, Dr. Kwon outlines the basics.
What role does the pancreas play in the body?
Dr. Kwon: The pancreas is an organ located in your abdomen that plays two significant roles: it helps regulate blood sugar by releasing hormones such as insulin and glucagon and assists in food digestion by secreting essential enzymes that break down your food.
How can you tell if you have pancreatic cancer?
Dr. Kwon: Most symptoms associated with pancreas tumors can be vague, which makes it extremely difficult for physicians to diagnose. Common symptoms include: dull, aching abdominal pain right underneath the breastbone that radiates toward the spine. Sometimes this is mistaken for dull back pain. Additional symptoms include: jaundice (or yellow) in the eyes, which may be accompanied by increased itchiness of the skin, bowel movements that become softer and may become pale like clay, urine the color of dark tea, increasing nausea or vomiting, developing sudden high blood sugars that are poorly controlled and unintended weight loss.
How is pancreatic cancer treated?
Pancreatic Cancer Care At Henry Ford
Dr. Kwon: Optimal treatment of pancreas tumors involves a combination of surgery (to remove any cancerous tumors) as well as chemotherapy and/or radiation. In the past decade, however, the approach to the sequencing of treatment has evolved, and more patients are receiving chemotherapy and/or radiation first, followed by surgery.
The results of this approach appear to be associated with an overall survival rate that's superior to the traditional surgery-first approach. More importantly, in the past decade, our chemotherapy regimens have significantly improved, allowing us to combat this deadly disease with higher success rates.
One of the most important factors is to be treated by a team of experts comprised of medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgical oncologists, nurse navigators, dietitians and psychology support professionals who are trained in pancreatic cancer treatment.
What is the survival rate for pancreatic cancer?
Dr. Kwon: Traditionally, the five-year survival rate for all stages of pancreas cancer has been around 13%. The reason this number is extremely low is that 80% of pancreas cancer patients are often diagnosed too late for curative treatment. There is hope that this number will continue to improve as we embrace new technology that will detect the cancer earlier, optimize our chemotherapy treatments with the addition of targeted and immune therapy, radiation technology and improved surgical techniques and innovations.
How can you reduce your risk of pancreatic cancer?
Dr. Kwon: Always see your physician for an annual wellness visit and discuss any health issues you may have been experiencing, especially those noted above. If you have a family history of pancreatic cancer, talk with your physician about enrolling in a high-risk pancreas clinic to screen for pancreatic cancer. Inquire about genetic or molecular testing. If you have a genetic mutation, there are tests that can be used to detect cancer earlier, such as magnetic resonance imagine (MRI) or endoscopic ultrasound (EUS).
Reviewed by David Kwon, M.D., FACS, medical director of surgical oncology at Henry Ford Cancer and clinical director of the Pancreatic Cancer Center.
