Pancreatic cancer, which progresses insidiously, is one of the deadly cancer types. General Surgery and Gastroenterology Surgery Specialist Assoc. Dr. Ufuk Arslan gave important information about the subject.
The pancreas is an organ located in the posterior part of the abdomen, approximately 15 cm in length, completely covered by the stomach, duodenum and large intestine (colon). Although it has many important tasks, it plays an important role in the digestion of food and in keeping blood sugar in balance. Although pancreatic cancers develop from every region of the organ, they most commonly develop from the head region. Again, they originate from the most frequently secreting cells and are called adenocarcinoma.
Pancreatic Cancers Risk Factors
Although the cause of the disease is unknown, it is more common in smokers and obese individuals. In almost 30% of patients, the cause of pancreatic cancer is smoking. Pancreatic cancer associated with adult diabetes is controversial. In a very small number of patients, pancreatic cancer may develop by heredity. Pancreatic cancer is more common in men than women, and the risk increases with age. The average age is 63 for men and 67 for women.
Pancreatic Cancers Symptoms
It may occur with psychological disorders such as weight loss, abdominal pain, jaundice, loss of appetite, nausea-vomiting, weakness, fatigue, diarrhea, indigestion, back pain, glazing paste-colored stools, pallor, sudden onset diabetes without a family history, and depression. . The patient loses weight as a result of insufficient food intake along with bloating, indigestion and loss of appetite. Jaundice is the most common and earliest symptom. It initially appears in the eyes, then turns yellow on the skin, followed by a darkening of the urine color to 'tea colored urine', and finally resulting in a light coloration of the stool, defined as 'glassmaker's paste'. The cause of jaundice is the inhibition of the excretion of bilirubin, which is made in the liver, as a result of obstruction of the biliary tract by pancreatic cancer.
Treatment in Pancreatic Cancers
The stage of the pancreatic tumor, its relationship with neighboring organs, especially whether it has spread to adjacent vessels and/or distant organs, are revealed and the chance of surgical removal is evaluated. Surgery cannot be performed in advanced stage tumors. Along with the chemotherapy to be applied to these patients, some interventions can be applied to improve the comfort of life by correcting the existing jaundice, providing nutritional support and reducing pain. For this purpose, placing a tube (stent) that provides passage to the bile duct with endoscopy from the mouth through the stomach, discharge of bile with the help of a needle from the abdominal skin to the intrahepatic biliary tract (PTC), advanced pain management techniques, tumors causing obstruction in the duodenum Methods such as insertion of a stent by entering this part with the oral endoscopic method are used.
Surgical treatment
The most effective and only treatment option in early stage or cancers without vascular involvement is 'whipple' surgery. With the Whipple surgery, the head of the pancreas, duodenum, gallbladder, part of the biliary tract outside the liver and regional lymph nodes are removed and new connections are made from the small intestine. When one or more of the complaints such as weight loss, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, jaundice, nausea It is recommended to consult a specialist without losing.
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