On average, more than 66,000 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year.
Even when the cancer spreads to other areas of the body, it is still called pancreatic cancer if that is where it started. Pancreatic cancer often spreads to the liver, abdominal wall, lungs, bones and/or lymph nodes.
Pancreatic tumors are either exocrine or neuroendocrine (endocrine) tumors. This is based on the type of cell they start in. Knowing the type of tumor is important because each type acts differently and responds to different treatments.
More than 90% of pancreatic cancers are exocrine tumors. The most common type of pancreatic cancer is adenocarcinoma.
Less than 10% of pancreatic tumors are neuroendocrine tumors (pancreatic NETs or PNETs), also called islet cell tumors. They often grow slower than exocrine tumors.
A risk factor is anything that increases your chance of getting a disease such as cancer. Different cancers have different risk factors. Some risk factors, like smoking, can be changed. Others, like your age or family history, can’t be changed.
But having a risk factor, or even several risk factors does not mean that you will get the disease. And some people who get the disease may have few or no known risk factors. For pancreatic cancer, risk factors include:
Treatment options for pancreatic cancer depend on several factors such as the stage of the cancer, the location of the tumor, the patient's overall health and their preferences. Here are some common treatment options:
Surgery: Surgery is often the preferred treatment if the cancer is confined to the pancreas and has not spread to other organs. The type of surgery depends on the location and size of the tumor and may include removing part or the entire pancreas.
Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells or stop them from growing. It can be used before surgery (neoadjuvant chemotherapy) to shrink the tumor, after surgery (adjuvant chemotherapy) to kill any remaining cancer cells, or as a primary treatment for advanced cancer.
Radiation Therapy: Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) is a cancer treatment that uses high doses of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation can kill cancer cells as well as regular cells, so the goal of this therapy is to maximize the radiation dose to the cancer cells and minimize the dose to the healthy cells. In some cases, it may be used to relieve symptoms and improve the quality of life in advanced pancreatic cancer.
Targeted Therapy: Targeted therapy drugs work by targeting specific abnormalities within cancer cells. They may be used alone or in combination with chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic cancer.
Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy helps the immune system fight cancer. It is being studied in clinical trials for pancreatic cancer, but it is not yet a standard treatment.
Summa Health has a team of physicians who specialize in pancreatic care, including diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer. To make an appointment, call 330.434.5978.
