In order to understand pancreatic cancer symptoms, first you must understand what the pancreas is and what function it performs. Located in front of the spine, in the abdomen and at a level just above the belly button, the pancreas is an organ that performs two jobs; it makes the enzymes that help to break down proteins and makes the hormone insulin, which regulates the levels of sugar in the blood. The enzymes that the pancreas makes chops proteins into parts small enough to help in digestion so that those proteins are more easily absorbed and used for energy by the body.
Due to the location of the pancreas, pancreatic cancer symptoms usually go undetected until it has advanced to the point of being difficult to treat. Unfortunately, with most of the cases, the symptoms do not develop until the cancer begins to spread and grow. The pancreas is made up of three areas; the head, the body and the tail; the most common form of pancreatic cancer is located in the head and is called adenocarcinoma. When it comes to pancreatic cancer, location does matter because the associated symptoms vary with each type. Adenocarcinoma, which is located in the head of the pancreas, produces symptoms earlier than symptoms of cancer in the body or tail of the pancreas.
Symptoms in the head of the pancreas include jaundice or yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes, weight loss, itching, vomiting, dark urine, nausea, light color stools, lymph nodes in the neck that are enlarged, back pain and abdominal pain. Pancreatic cancer symptoms in the tail or body of the pancreas produce symptoms such as weight loss, stomach pain and back pain. Due to the pancreas close proximity to the digestive system, the symptoms, which predominate, are in the gastrointestinal areas. The most noted symptom is abdominal pain, which occurs in over 80 percent of people who are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer; the pain increases as the tumor grows.
Other symptoms that some people have reported include bloating or a sense of being full early after a meal or a feeling of uncomfortable swelling in the stomach; nausea and diarrhea also accompany this bloated feeling. When the stools turn a pale color, it is usually due to the duct that drains bile into the intestines becoming blocked by the cancer. As the cancer grows, the pancreatic cancer symptoms become more evident and begin to affect the body as a whole. These symptoms include weight loss due to a loss of appetite, malaise, depression, blood clots and high blood sugar, which sometimes can cause the development of diabetes.
A rare form of pancreatic cancer is pancreatic endocrine tumors, which is tumors of the Islet cells, is also called neuroendocrine tumors and arise from the hormone producing cells in the pancreas. Pancreatic cancer symptoms associated with pancreatic endocrine tumors include weight loss, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, anxiety, sweating and low blood sugar. If you have experienced any of these symptoms, it is recommended that you see your doctor right away.
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