Pancreatic cancer is a malignant tumour that develops in the pancreas - a gland located between the stomach and spine.
This disease affects men and women equally and is very difficult to cure if not detected early.
The pancreas has two main functions in the body: it produces juices that help digest food and produces hormones such as insulin and glucagon, which help control blood sugar levels. Both hormones help the body use and store the energy obtained from food.
Approximately 95% of pancreatic cancers begin in the cells that produce hormones.
The pancreas is a gland located behind the stomach and in front of the spine. It produces juices that help break down food and hormones that help control blood sugar levels.
The pancreas also plays a role in diabetes. In Type I diabetes, the beta cells of the pancreas do not produce insulin due to the body's immune system reacting against them. In Type 2 diabetes, the pancreas loses the ability to secrete enough insulin in response to meals.
Problems of the pancreas may lead to many health problems. Among them:
- Cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder in which a thick mucus can clog the pancreatic ducts.
- Pancreatitis or inflammation of the pancreas, which occurs when digestive enzymes are activated in the pancreas itself instead of in the small intestine and begin to digest the pancreas.
Acute pancreatitis: typically causes gallstones that form in the gallbladder, which can occur with alcoholism and also due to excessive fat intake.
Symptoms include severe pain in the abdomen that can reach from front to back.
80% of patients with acute pancreatitis recover in a few days, but sometimes it can be complicated by accumulations of liquid inside the abdomen (pseudocysts), failure of other organs such as the kidneys and lungs, decreased blood pressure, even causing death.
Acute pancreatitis is treated with analgesics, antibiotics, stopping ingestion for some time, among other measures.
For more information visit:
Signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/pancreaticcancer/detailedguide/pancreatic-cancer-signs-and-symptoms
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