Markethealthbeauty.com | What Are The Symptoms Of Pancreatic Cancer? Pancreatic cancer is a type of cancer that often appears without any obvious symptoms. The absence of clear symptoms in the early stages as well as the rapid spread of cancer cells to other organs makes pancreatic cancer very dangerous.
The pancreas is an organ located behind the stomach. This organ serves to produce insulin hormones that regulate blood sugar (endocrine function) and produce digestive enzymes to break down food in the gut (exocrine function). Pancreatic cancer occurs when pancreatic cells grow uncontrolled due to changes in genetic properties.
Pancreatic cancer patients have the lowest life expectancy compared to other types of cancer, which is less than 4%. This is because the symptoms of pancreatic cancer are not specific, so it is usually only detected when it has spread.
Getting to know and be aware of the symptoms of pancreatic cancer can help detect the disease early, so that treatment can be given as early as possible.
What Are The Symptoms Of Pancreatic Cancer?
Common symptoms of pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer usually attacks the exocrine glands more often. As a result, some possible symptoms include:
Abdominal Pain
The first symptom is the onset of pain, especially in the abdomen and surrounding areas. The appearance of this pain is not separated from the spread of pancreatic cancer cells to organs and other tissues in the abdominal area.
Excessive Hunger and Thirst
The next characteristic of pancreatic cancer that you should be aware of is excessive hunger and thirst. In fact, these symptoms are the impact of diabetes.
However, this is related to pancreatic cancer because as explained earlier, the pancreas is the organ responsible for producing the hormone insulin. While cancer cells attack the pancreas, automatic insulin production becomes disrupted and leads to uncontrolled blood sugar levels.
So, it can be said that pancreatic cancer patients will also have diabetes, which is characterized by the symptoms of excessive hunger and thirst.
Weight Loss
Although pancreatic cancer causes the sufferer to become easily hungry, so the frequency of eating is likely to increase, in fact, this does not make weight gain. Instead of gaining weight, the weight will decrease instead.
This is possible because cancer cells will produce nasty hormones that will inhibit the absorption of nutrients by the body. As a result, the body is difficult to maintain an ideal weight and instead decreases.
Gall bladder Enlargement
The tumor that is formed will also make the bile ducts clogged. If the bile ducts are clogged, bile can be trapped in the gallbladder. This causes the gallbladder to grow larger than usual. The doctor may be able to feel an enlarged gallbladder during the examination as well as a softer upper abdomen.
Body Feels Tired
Pancreatic cancer cells can also give rise to an insulinoma, a tumor that produces excessive amounts of insulin. Due to excessive insulin production, blood sugar levels were drastically reduced. This is what then causes the body to get tired easily.
In addition to feeling tired, this condition also causes the body to sweat easily and feel confused.
Swelling of the Legs
Swelling of the legs is also one of the symptoms of pancreatic cancer. This swollen leg is caused by cancer cells, causing blood clots in the area.
In addition, this condition also causes blood flow to the lungs to become inhibited. As a result, sufferers may also have difficulty breathing.
Fast Heart Rate
Rapid heart rate (heart palpitations) is usually associated with heart disease. However, this condition can also be a hallmark of pancreatic cancer.
Please check with your doctor immediately if you feel the heart beating fast and accompanied by the symptoms mentioned above.
- Jaundice, and
- Back pain.
Other Common Symptoms
In addition, some symptoms that arise from pancreatic cancer, among others:
- Diabetes.
- Fever and chills.
- Itching.
- Blood is easy to clot.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Indigestion.
- Changes in bowel patterns.
- Loss of appetite.
Symptoms of adenocarcinoma pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer carcinoma is a cancer cell that forms in the pancreatic tract and attacks the exocrine glands. The exocrine gland is the gland that produces and secretes substances to the surface of the epithelium through the channel.
Symptoms of pancreatic carcinoma cancer are:
Abdominal pain
Abdominal pain characterized by blunt pain in the upper abdomen. The pain can spread to the back. These symptoms recur; it can come and go, but it happens often.
Flatulence.
The absence of tumors in the pancreas will cause the stomach to feel uncomfortable, easily bloated, and easily full. In addition, there are also other symptoms such as nausea and vomiting.
Jaundice.
The cancer cells in the pancreas can clog the bile flow so there is a build-up of bile in the blood. This condition turns the skin and whites of the eyes yellow. In addition, the color of urine becomes darker. Other symptoms of jaundice are itching and light-colored feces.
When it has spread, symptoms of pancreatic carcinoma cancer will affect the entire body which includes:
- Drastic weight loss
- Discomfort in the body
- Loss of appetite
- Blood sugar pressure increases due to the ability of the pancreas to produce insulin is impaired.
Symptoms of neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer (islet cell tumor)
Neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer is a type of pancreatic cancer that attacks the glands of hormone producers. The cancer is also called an islet cell tumor or neurendocrine tumor.
Symptoms of neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer almost resemble pancreatic cancer adenocarcinoma, such as abdominal pain, drastically decreased weight, to nausea and vomiting. Hormones released by islet tumor cells can also cause some symptoms, such as:
Insulinoma (excess insulin)
Insulinoma (excess insulin), characterized by sweating, anxiety, dizziness, and fainting due to low blood sugar.
Glucagonoma (excess glucagon)
Glucagonoma (excess glucagon), characterized by diarrhea, excessive thirst or frequent urination, and weight loss.
Gastrinoma (excess gastrin)
Gastrinoma (excess gastrin), characterized by abdominal pain, such as ulcers, but bleeding, and weight loss.
Somatostatinoma (excess somatostatin)
Somatostatinoma (excess somatostatin), characterized by diarrhea, abdominal pain, fatty and foul-smelling feces, as well as weight loss.
VIPomas (excess vasoactive intestinal peptide)
VIPomas (excess vasoactive intestinal peptide), characterized by diarrhea, stomach cramps, and redness of the face.
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