What is Pancreas Cancer
Courtesy of the
Pancreatic Cancer Network
| The pancreas is
a gland, about six inches long,
located in the abdomen. It is
surrounded by the stomach, small
intestine, liver and spleen. It
is shaped like a flat pear. The
wide end of the pancreas is
called the head, the middle
section is the body, and the
thin end is the tail. The
uncinate process is the part of
the gland that bends backwards
and underneath the head of the
pancreas.
The pancreas has two main
functions. One function is
called the exocrine function.
This involves the production of
enzymes that help in digestion.
The second function of the
pancreas is the endocrine
function, which involves the
production of the two hormones
insulin and glucagon. Islet
cells within the pancreas
produce and secrete insulin and
glucagon into the bloodstream.
These hormones work together to
maintain the proper level of
sugar in the blood.
When cells in the pancreas
grow out of control, a tumor
develops. In most cases of
pancreatic cancer, the cells
that line the pancreatic duct
are involved. This type of
pancreatic cancer is an exocrine
tumor known as adenocarcinoma.
A less common type of pancreatic
tumor begins in the islet cells
of the pancreas and is known as
an endocrine tumor.
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What everyone should know...
There is always hope!
People are beating the
statistics every day!
Post-operative complications are lower and survival is improved when
pancreatic cancer surgery is performed at specialized centers, such as
Johns Hopkins, UCLA, M.D. Anderson etc., than it is when the same
surgery is performed at hospitals with a low pancreatic cancer surgery
volume.
Courtesy of Johns Hopkins
- The Sol Goldman Pancreatic
Cancer Research Center
Pancreatic cancer is
treatable when caught early; the
vast majority of cases are not
diagnosed until too late.
- Five-year survival rates
approach 40% if the cancers
are surgically removed while
they are still small and
have not spread to the lymph
nodes.
Pancreatic cancer is
difficult to diagnose
- There is no reliable
screening test for the early
detection of pancreatic
cancer.
- Symptoms are often vague
and easily confused with
other diseases.
- We need to invest in the
development of an effective
screening test.
Who Has the Greatest Risk?
- People with two or more
relatives who have had
pancreatic cancer (see
National Familial Pancreas
Tumor Registry)
- Cigarette Smokers
- People of Ashkenazi
Jewish descent
- Having the BRCA2, p16,
STK11 gene mutation or
chronic pancreatitis
- Are over the age of 50
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Courtesy of the Pancreatic
Cancer Network
In America, one in three women,
and one in two men will be diagnosed with cancer
in their lifetime.
Pancreatic cancer is the 4th leading cause of
cancer death in the United States. It is the 3rd
leading cause of cancer death among 40-59 year
old men.
Approximately 37,170 people will be diagnosed
with pancreatic cancer this year in the United
States and 33,370 people will die from it. The
number of Americans diagnosed each year of
pancreatic cancer continues to rise unlike other
leading cancers where an investment in early
detection has led to a decrease in cancer
incidences.
For all stages of pancreatic cancer combined,
the five year survival rate is only 5%; the
lowest survival rate of all major cancers.
The average life expectancy after diagnosis with
metastatic disease is just 3-6 months. 52% of
pancreatic cancer patients are diagnosed with
metastatic.
Pancreatic cancer affects both men and women of
all races and varying ages. Men are 20% more
likely to develop cancer of the pancreas than
women. African Americans are 40-50% more likely
to develop cancer of the pancreas than
Caucasians.
In 2006, an estimated $66.7 million dollars of
the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) cancer
research investment was spent on pancreatic
cancer research. This is just 1% of the NCI’s
$4.8 billion dollar cancer research budget for
2006.
The country’s investment in cancer research over
the last 20 years has led to a slight drop in
2006 in overall deaths due to cancer. This fact
illustrates that our investment in cancer
research is moving science forward in the most
common cancers. However, the lack of progress in
pancreatic cancer proves that we must continue
to make federal funding of cancer research a
priority.
It is time to take action against
a disease that has been ignored
for too long.
We
have the power to do something about this
disease.
You have the power to help. |
