Pancreatic Cancer, what you need to know

Pancreatic cancer can develop from two kinds of cells in the pancreas: exocrine cells and neuroendocrine cells, such as islet cells. The exocrine type is more common and is usually found at an advanced stage. Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (islet cell tumors) are less common but have a better prognosis. Explore the links on this page to learn more about  pancreatic cancer treatment, statistics, research, and clinical trials.

General Symptoms:

Pancreatic cancer typically develops without noticeable early symptoms, often resulting in diagnosis at a more advanced stage. As the disease advances, the following symptoms may occur:

Digestive or Abdominal Symptoms

  • Upper abdominal pain (may radiate to the back)

  • Loss of appetite

  • Nausea or vomiting

  • Unintended weight loss

  • Bloating or feeling full quickly

Jaundice (yellowing of skin and eyes), often with:

  • Dark urine

  • Pale or greasy stools

  • Itchy skin 

New-onset diabetes (especially without risk factors or in people over 50)

Fatigue and weakness, common as disease advances or with malnutrition

Pancreatic Cancer Survival

Pancreatic cancer is often identified late, which means that on average only just over 13% of patients with a pancreatic cancer diagnosis live for five years, or more. (link)

Relative survival estimates the proportion of cancer patients who survive, excluding deaths from other causes. These statistics are based on large populations and do not predict outcomes for individuals, as each case differs in treatment and response.

Diagnosis:

The standard process for diagnosing pancreatic cancer involves multiple steps, often starting with routine screening and moving to more specific tests if something abnormal is found.

Blood tests

A blood sample may be taken to assess liver function (to explain the jaundice), glucose and HbA1c (to check for diabetes) and generic tumour markers (CA 19-9 is elevated in about 4 out of 5 patients, but is not a definitive test for pancreatic cancer).

Imaging Tests

In addition to a blood test, an abdominal ultrasound can be done to look for issues with your bile duct and it may reveal a pancreatic mass.

A contrast MRI (pancreas protocol) is the gold standard and it will be able to help Identify the size of the tumour, its location, if blood vessels are involved (vascular involvement) and if there are additional tumour locations (metastasis).

An MRI/MRCP (Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography) may be done if the CT imaging is inconclusive as it is better for examining the bile and pancreatic ducts.

An endoscopic ultrasound is highly sensitive for small tumours and allows for a fine needle biopsy (tissue collection) to be done at the same time.