CANCER OF THE PANCREASPancreatic cancer begins in the tissues of your pancreas an organ in your abdomen that ies hori!ontay behind the o"er part of your stomach# $our pancreas secretes en!ymes that aid digestion and hormones that hep reguate the metaboism of sugars#Pancreatic cancer often has a poor prognosis% e&en "hen diagnosed eary# Pancreatic cancer typicay spreads rapidly and is seldom detected in its early stages% "hich is a ma'or reason "hy it(s a eading cause of cancer death# Signs and symptoms may not appear unti pancreatic cancer is )uite ad&anced and compete surgica remo&a isn(t possibe#SIGNS & SYMPTOMSSigns and symptoms of pancreatic cancer often don(t occur unti the disease is ad&anced# *hen signs and symptoms do appear% they may incude+Upper abdominal pain that may radiate to your back Yelloing o! your skin and the hites o! your eyes "#aundice$ %oss o! appetite &eight loss 'epression (lood clots )o pancreatic cancer !ormsPancreatic cancer occurs "hen ces in your pancreas de&eop mutations in their ,NA# These mutations cause ces to gro" uncontroaby and to continue i&ing after norma ces "oud die# These accumuating ces can form a tumor#-ost pancreatic cancer begins in the ces that ine the ducts of the pancreas# This type of cancer is caed pancreatic adenocarcinoma or pancreatic e*ocrine cancer#Rarey% cancer can form in the hormone.producing ces of the pancreas# This type of cancer is caed islet cell cancer or pancreatic endocrine cancer#R/S0 FACTORSAfrican.American race E1cess body "eight Chronic in2ammation of the pancreas 3pancreatitis4 ,iabetes Famiy history of genetic syndromes that can increase cancer ris5% incuding a 6RCA7 gene mutation% 8ynch syndrome and famiia atypica moe.maignant meanoma 3FA---4 Persona or famiy history of pancreatic cancer Smo5ing +OMP%I+,TIONS-aundice. Pancreatic cancer that boc5s the i&er(s bie duct can cause 'aundice# Signs incude yeo" s5in and eyes% dar5.coored urine% and pae.coored stoos#Pain. A gro"ing tumor may press on ner&es in your abdomen% causing pain that can become se&ere# Pain medications can hep you fee more comfortabe# Radiation therapy may hep stop tumor gro"th temporariy to gi&e you some reief#(oel obstruction. Pancreatic cancer that gro"s into or presses on the sma intestine 3duodenum4 can boc5 the 2o" of digested food from your stomach into your intestines#'I,GNOSTI+ T/STImaging tests to create pictures o! your internal organs. /maging tests hep your doctor &isuai!e your interna organs% incuding your pancreas# /maging tests used to diagnose pancreatic cancer incude utrasound% computeri!ed tomography 3CT4 scan and magnetic resonance imaging 3-R/4# Using a scope to create ultrasound pictures o! your pancreas. An endoscopic utrasound 3E9S4 uses an utrasound de&ice to ma5e images of your pancreas from inside your abdomen# The utrasound de&ice is passed through a thin% 2e1ibe tube 3endoscope4 do"n your esophagus and into your stomach in order to obtain the images# $our doctor may aso coect a sampe of ces 3biopsy4 during E9S# Using a scope to create ultrasound pictures o! your pancreas. An endoscopic utrasound 3E9S4 uses an utrasound de&ice to ma5e images of your pancreas from inside your abdomen# The utrasound de&ice is passed through a thin% 2e1ibe tube 3endoscope4 do"n your esophagus and into your stomach in order to obtain the images# $our doctor may aso coect a sampe of ces 3biopsy4 during E9S# Using a scope to create ultrasound pictures o! your pancreas. An endoscopic utrasound 3E9S4 uses an utrasound de&ice to ma5e images of your pancreas from inside your abdomen# The utrasound de&ice is passed through a thin% 2e1ibe tube 3endoscope4 do"n your esophagus and into your stomach in order to obtain the images# $our doctor may aso coect a sampe of ces 3biopsy4 during E9S# Using a scope to in#ect dye into the pancreatic ducts. Endoscopic retrograde choangiopancreatography 3ERCP4 uses a dye to highight the bie ducts in your pancreas#,uring ERCP% an endoscope is passed do"n your throat% through your stomach and into the upper part of your sma intestine# A dye is then in'ected into the pancreatic and bie ducts through a sma hoo" tube 3catheter4 that(s passed through the endoscope# Finay% :.rays are ta5en of the ducts#A tissue or ce sampe 3biopsy4 can be coected during ERCP#0emo1ing a tissue sample !or testing "biopsy$. A biopsy is a procedure to remo&e a sma sampe of tissue from the pancreas for e1amination under a microscope#A biopsy sampe can be obtained by inserting a neede through your s5in and into your pancreas 3;ne.neede aspiration4# Or it can be done using endoscopic utrasound to guide specia toos into your pancreas "here a sampe of ces can be obtained for testingStages o! pancreatic cancerStage I. Cancer is con;ned to the pancreas# Stage II. Cancer has spread beyond the pancreas to nearby tissues and organs and may ha&e spread to the ymph nodes# Stage III. Cancer has spread beyond the pancreas to the ma'or bood &esses around the pancreas and may ha&e spread to the ymph nodes# Stage I2. Cancer has spread to distant sites beyond the pancreas% such as the i&er% ungs and the ining that surrounds your abdomina organs 3peritoneum4# SU0G/0YSurgery !or tumors in the pancreatic head. /f your pancreatic cancer is ocated in the head of the pancreas% you may consider an operation caed a *hippe procedure 3pancreatoduodenectomy4#The *hippe procedure in&o&es remo&ing the head of your pancreas% as "e as a portion of your sma intestine 3duodenum4% your gabadder and part of your bie duct# Part of your stomach may be remo&ed as "e# $our surgeon reconnects the remaining parts of your pancreas% stomach and intestines to ao" you to digest food#*hippe surgery carries a ris5 of infection and beeding# After the surgery% some peope e1perience nausea and &omiting that can occur if the stomach has di