The cause of pancreatic cancer remains unknown, making it challenging to treat and potentially cure the disease. According to the American Cancer Society, pancreatic cancer accounts for 3% of all cancer diagnoses annually and 7% of all cancer deaths.
Risk Factors of Pancreatic Cancer
The chance of developing pancreatic cancer is 1 in 64. There are a lot of factors that increase the chance of getting this type of cancer. Risk factors include:
- Smoking and/or using any form of tobacco
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Exposure to chemicals
- (Hereditary) chronic pancreatitis
- Hereditary syndromes with gene changes
- Age
- Gender
- Ethnicity
Being male and/or being 45+ increases the risk of developing this type of cancer. Unfortunately, these are factors we cannot influence, just like diseases and syndromes, like the BRCA genes, passed from parent to child. Ethnic groups that are more at risk of developing pancreatic cancer are African-American and Ashkenazi Jewish.
Stages of Pancreatic Cancer
This type of cancer is categorized into 5 stages. If someone gets diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, the healthcare professional also tells them which stage their cancer is. This depends on several factors, like location, size, and if the cancer is spread. Stages are:
- Stage 0; abnormal cells are noted in the lining of the pancreas, these cells could become cancerous. This should therefore be monitored closely.
- Stage 1; a cancerous tumor in the pancreas
- Stage 2; a cancerous tumor in the pancreas and has spread to nearby lymph nodes, organs, or other tissues
- Stage 3; cancer has spread to major blood vessels around or near the pancreas and probably also to the lymph nodes.
- Stage 4; cancer has spread to areas further away in the body, like the lungs, liver, or colon, and probably also to the lymph nodes, organs, and tissues near the pancreas.
Continue reading on the next page and discover, among others, how pancreatic cancer is treated.Â
