Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer is the 10th most common cancer in the UK. It is difficult to detect, is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, and survival rates are extremely poor.
One in four people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in England survive their disease for one year or more, with emergency presentation the most common route to diagnosis. (Cancer Research UK, 2013-2017)
The difficulty is pancreatic cancer can be very hard to diagnose as symptoms are vague, ambiguous and can be caused by other conditions. Early diagnosis, however, is critical to improving outcomes and survival, and understanding the risk factors and symptoms is key.
Symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer
Indigestion
Tummy pain or back pain
Tummy pain or back pain, or sometimes both, are common symptoms of pancreatic cancer. The pain may start as general discomfort or tenderness in the upper tummy area and spread to the back.
Changes to your poo
Pancreatic cancer can cause diarrhoea (runny poo) and constipation (when you find it harder to poo). If you have diarrhoea for more than 7 days and you don’t know why, contact your GP.
Pancreatic cancer can also cause pale, oily poo. Poo may be pale, oily, smell worse than normal, and be difficult to flush down the toilet. This is caused by fat in the poo. It happens if pancreatic cancer has affected your digestion, so that fat in your food isn’t digested properly.
Weight loss
Losing a lot of weight without meaning to can be a symptom of pancreatic cancer. The pancreas plays an important role in digesting food and
controlling your blood sugar levels. Pancreatic cancer can affect this and cause weight loss.
Jaundice
Signs of jaundice include yellow skin and eyes. Yellow skin may be less obvious if you have brown or black skin, but you may notice the white part
of your eyes looks yellow. You can see photographs of jaundice on the NHS website.
Jaundice can also cause dark pee, pale poo and itchy skin. Some people also feel sick, lose weight, lose their appetite or feel
tired.
If you think you have jaundice, go to your GP or A&E straight away.
For more information on Pancreatic Cancer, including a more comprehensive list of symptoms please go to Pancreatic UK.
What are the Risk Factors?
Different cancers have different risk factors. Having one or more of these risk factors doesn't mean you will definitely get that cancer.
The risk factors for pancreatic cancer include:
Age
Pancreatic cancer is more common in older people. Almost half of all new cases are diagnosed in people aged 75 and over
Smoking
Around 20 out of 100 cases of pancreatic cancer in the UK (around 20%) are caused by smoking. Cigarettes, cigars, pipes and chewing tobacco all increase pancreatic cancer risk.
Being overweight or obese
More than 10 in 100 pancreatic cancers in the UK (more than 10%) are caused by being overweight or obese. This increase in risk could be because the pancreas makes more insulin in overweight people. But we need more research to know for sure.
A family history of pancreatic cancer
Most people with pancreatic cancer have no history of pancreatic cancer in their family. But about 1 in 10 pancreatic cancers (10%) may be linked to faulty genes that run in families.
Pancreatitis
People who have a condition called chronic pancreatitis are more likely to develop pancreatic cancer. Chronic pancreatitis means the pancreas is inflamed, tender and swollen over a long period of time. The risk is higher with chronic pancreatitis because of a rare inherited condition called hereditary pancreatitis. Inherited conditions are passed down through family members.
Diabetes
Diabetes is linked to cancer of the pancreas. But it is not clear whether diabetes causes the cancer, or whether it is an early symptom. Diabetes is common and most people with diabetes will not develop pancreatic cancer.