The average general health article on pancreatic cancer states flatly that there are no early symptoms of pancreatic cancer. People diagnosed with pancreatic cancer are typically already in the advanced stage of the disease by the time it's caught, and the typical prognosis is death within five years.
With pancreatic cancer much on everyone's mind due to the untimely death of Steve Jobs, it seems like a good time to ask the question that's on all of our minds: Are there any early warning signs of pancreatic cancer?
The answer is yes, there are. But to understand these signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer, it's important to understand where the pancreas is, and what it does.
Located deep inside the abdomen, the pancreas is only 4 to 6 inches long and shaped like a tadpole. In the "tail" of the pancreas are cells that produce insulin, and tumors at this end are usually endocrine tumors. They're easier to diagnose, but are much rarer. At the other end, the "head" of the pancreas, are cells that produce digestive enzymes, and tumors at this end are called exocrine tumors. These are by far the most common, and are much more difficult to detect.
However, the idea that a pancreatic tumor is asymptomatic is a bit of a myth. Dig deep into journal articles and ask patients what they remember and the result is a long list of odd signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer to watch out for.
Taken one by one, these symptoms could mean many things. But if you find yourself experiencing two or three of these early warning signs of pancreatic cancer, call your doctor and ask for a scan. Imaging techniques such as MRIs can detect pancreatic cancer some of the time, depending on the location of the tumor.
Early Warning Signs of Pancreatic Cancer
• Diabetes, especially if it comes on suddenly. Recently, the Mayo Clinic published startling research showing that 40 percent of pancreatic cancer patients had been diagnosed with diabetes one to two years before discovering they had a pancreatic tumor. Researchers believe the diabetes is caused by tumors that simply haven't been detected yet. The problem is, diabetes is very common, and the majority of diabetes isn't pancreatic cancer, so doctors are trying to develop screening tools to tell the difference. Right now, they say family history is an important clue. If you're diagnosed with diabetes that seems to come on suddenly and you have no family history of diabetes, bring this to your doctor's attention and ask for further screening for pancreatic cancer.
• Yellowing of the eyes or skin. Even a small pancreatic tumor can block the bile duct in the head of the pancreas, causing bile to build up. This causes jaundice.
• Itchy skin, palms, and soles of feet. A little-known side-effect of jaundice is itchy hands and feet. It's due to a skin reaction to the bilirubin, the yellowish brown liver chemical that causes jaundice.
• Lack of appetite. An Italian study found that six to eight months before being diagnosed with pancreatic tumors, patients reported a sudden drop in their appetite and a tendency to feel full after eating very little.
• Changes in taste. In the same Italian study, some of the patients surveyed said they'd suddenly lost their taste for coffee, wine, and smoking. In fact, they said, they felt "disgust" for the smell and taste of coffee and alcohol.
• Abdominal pain. Pancreatic cancer sufferers remember this pain as a gnawing pain, rather than a sharp cramp or ache, and it radiates toward the back. A characteristic clue: the pain goes away when you lean forward.
• An enlarged gall bladder. The same blockage of the bile duct that causes jaundice can also cause an enlarged gallbladder, as the bile builds up behind the duct. The good news is that an enlarged gallbladder can be seen on imaging tests, and it may even be possible for a doctor to feel it during a physical exam.
• Pale, floating, smelly stools. If a pancreatic tumor prevents digestive enzymes from reaching the intestine, the result is an inability to digest fatty foods. So you end up with loose, smelly "floaters" as a result of the excess fat. Doctors say this symptom, in particular, can be an early clue and is too often overlooked.
• Dark, tarry stools. Bleeding in the upper intestines causes this symptom.
• Sudden, unexplained weight loss. Weight loss is not always, as many people mistakenly believe, a sign of advanced cancer that's spread to the liver. It can also happen because a lack of pancreatic enzymes is causing fat to pass through the body undigested.
What do you do if you're worried about any of these symptoms?
Document all symptoms, and report them to your doctor in as much detail as possible. If your doctor is convinced you have legitimate concerns (and remember, you may have to do some convincing) tests such as an ultrasound, a CT scan, and an endoscopy followed by a biopsy can be used to search for a pancreatic tumor. There's also a blood test for a biomarker called CA-19-9 that can be used in conjunction with other tests to diagnose pancreatic cancer early.
While tragic early deaths like Steve Jobs' are the hard reality of pancreatic cancer, there are also people living productive lives thanks to an early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Such was the case with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who's still practicing after having a tiny pancreatic tumor surgically removed. Yes, she got "lucky," as she put it -- but she also got a CT scan, which is how the tumor was found.
All of it...thank you.
If it told me What time in life most people get this disease.
He is so young and such a talent. http://bit.ly/reaflS
We knew three people who have recently died from this. It seems to be more common - are maybe more are just being diagnosed correctly? One neighbor went to the doctor with the abdominal pain and only three months later was dead, so it's a scary thing. Especially for women, because many of these symptoms could be from reproductive problems as well. I have heard also that smoking, sweets, alcohol, and weight gain put you at risk.
THIS INFORMATION FOR ME IS VERY INPORTEN BECAUSE I FOR ALONG TIME KEPT HAVEING PAIN IN MY GUT THAT WENT AROUNT INTO MY BACK '' BUT THE PAIN NEVER STAYS INFACT ONLY ACOUPLE OF TIMES DID IT STAY LONGER THEN AFEW DAYS...AND THIER AGAIN IS THE THING WITH THE LOOSE STOOLS RIGHT NOW THINGS THING TO BE OK SO IM HOPEING FOR THE BEST ON ALL THAT....
My mother died fourteen years ago, the doctors said she died from acid reflux, she was also diabetic, used to scream with stomach pains, now wondering if it was cancer in the pancreas. May her soul rest in peace.
I did not have any of these signs. I did feel a cramping or odd feeling when I bent over. I went in for my annual check up. The doctor thought something was different about me. I had lost weight but I had on the Atkins diet for 5 months so I told that was why. She scheduled me for a ultra sound that afternoon. The next morning I got phone call from my doctor. She said she had me scheduled to see a specialist the next morning and the ultra sound found a tumor. The specialist showed me the results. I had a tumor on the tail of my pancreas and attached to my spleen. Two weeks later I had a operation to remove my spleen, the tumor and the tail of my pancreas. My husband was told it was cancer. I spent 10 days in the hospital. Three weeks after the operation the results were in. I had an Isolet Insulin Tumor. It was rare. Only 5% of pancreas tumors are Isolet Insulin Tumors. I was one of the lucky ones. It has now been 11 years since the operation. So far the tiny portion left of my pancreas is working fine. I do have to have pneumonia shots every 3 years, flu shots every year and my insulin level is checked . I am one of the lucky ones.
My mother died of pancreatic cancer just a few days ago. These "early warning signs" are not early warning signs at all. If these symptoms appear and follow-up reveals pancreatic tumor, you have pancreatic cancer. Ergo, you gained no warning. Don't anybody panic--just use common sense. There is no screening test for pancreatic cancer yet. There is no certain indicator in a blood test. NIH says the time between onset and diagnosis is, on average, 10 weeks. Yes, there are a few notable exceptions, but generally pancreatic cancer is fatal in 6-10 months. With chemo and radiation, my mother made 10 months and only the very last weeks had slight pain. There is a lot of good information on the web; this article doesn't qualify.
Prayers Keykii Bo0
These are still late signs
I found this to be such a vitally important article that I saved it to its own folder. I don't plan to have pancreatic cancer, but in a world where you don't repeatedly hear the warning signs....do I really want to have to sit and wonder what that list was if the time comes to recall it? I think anyone who values this article should do the same. If not for yourself, then perhaps for a loved one. It might be their life or your own that you are saving! A tremendous thank you to Caring.com for making this available to your readers.
Amazing this isn't more well known, and I am an RN.
Symptoms include stomach pain, jaundice and gastrointestinal problems. http://bit.ly/reaflS
Thank you. Both of my parents died from pancreatic cancer and I haven't been feeling well lately, so this is helpful.
provides information not generally known by the public for a disease which often has a rapid and deadly outcome.....
Hugs truesinger
This is soooo helpful...to recognize each of these symptoms. We never know which one of these can save a loved one's life--is it the stool? the sudden onset of diabetes? the pain that is relieved by leaning forward? Better to be forewarned and lived than to not know and ...
Thanks for this informative article. My mom passed away with pancreatic cancer and was diagnosed with diabetes just a few months before the cancer was found. We weren't told of the other related symptoms. Now our family knows not to just ignore them.
if i had know what the symptoms where alot sooner i would have been able to have bought my self some more time, please don't stop showing these to people, it will save others, maybe not mine.
Prayers Roccorocco
Seeing the cluster of symptoms helps to learn how to recognize a pattern. Thank you
This is information that everyone needs to know and keep in mind. Thanks for bringing it to our attention. Everyone needs to be "in tune" to what their bodies are saying and then "heed the warnings" by talking with their doctors and getting proper treatment.
Thanks for the info. My Father died of pancreatic cancer at age 57. I am 57 and want as much information on the warning signs that I can get. Again thank you.
EXCELLENT .
Kim Hissong our prayers are with you & your husband that he will get good test results.
This is the first time I heard of any early warning signs. It's nice to know there is something to keep a watch for. My daughter has had many bouts of pancreatitus. The Drs. said because of all the meds she has to take. But she hasn't had a bout with it since she had her gall bladder out about 4 yrs. ago. I still worry about her pancreas every time I hear about someone dying from pancreatic cancer.
I SEND A PRAYER FOR EVERY ONE THAT HAS GONE THUR THAT MY BROTHER DIED OF IT IN A FEW MONTHS. NO ON ELSE IN OUR FAMILY HAS EVER HAD THIS CANCER, I KNOW HE HAD THE HPLORIA I HAVE IT ALL THE TIME TO AND JUST FINISHED TREATMENT FOR IT. BUT I ALWAYS HAVE THAT HURTING IN MY STOMACH.. FOR YRS AND I FEEL MY DRS. DO NOT CARE. ANY ADVISE?????????????
Also forgot to say, she only lived for 2 months after being diagnosed, but she remained herself until about 2 or 3 days before she expired.
Wish I had known this when my mother was experiencing symptoms and her doctor said she had indigestion. This is very helpful, as are other articles about little known signs of other diseases.
My mother died of pancreatic cancer, never diagnosed with diabetes but it happened just like the article, never noticed the jaundice, but she died 2 years after being diagnosed. It is a silent killer, too late when finally diagnosed.
Wow that is pretty scary especially the 1st sign when they talked about Diabetes.
Very much so,
These are some very interesting and notable signs to watch for - thanks for the information.
What scares me is the itchy palms and the soles of my feet.. I get that all the time, and just didn't know why. I've already had diabetes for about a decade, and that was gradual, so it's pointless relying on that. But I will watch my weight, my skin colour and my bowels more closely now, as cancer killed my mother inside of a year, and it terrifies me now. On the upside, I still love the taste of coffee.
very impotent to be in alert.
Kim, good luck on the results of your husband. Does he go to AA or any kind of support group? I would try to get him to do that for the drinking problem. I have no energy either and I am hoping that it is due to some sleep apnea but, I don't think that is the problem because I already sleep with a bi-pap. Will be praying for you!!
Great article. I will be seeing my Urologist and Endocrinologist on upcoming appointments next week therefore; I will address my issues (4 out of 10) and request the proper screenings. Thanks!!
My husband had pancratitis last nov. 2010. Due to drinking beer. He was told to stop but did not. The past few months his weight has been dropping drastically. So we are now going to a wellness center and the doctor ran numorous blood work and we are waiting on the results. He has no energy and sleeps a lot. Any suggestions?