Pancreatic Cancer Among the Most Deadly

By Lois Thompson

Great advances have been made in helping people to recover from many forms of cancer – but pancreatic cancer isn't necessarily one of them.  Why is that?  One reason is that it's difficult to detect in its early stages, and there is a shortness of effective screening options.  Additionally, because of the pancreas' proximity to a large supply of blood, it can quickly grow and spread to other areas.

Symptoms are often detected late because people don't notice them as signs of the illness.  Signs can include jaundice, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, or loss of appetite – but these symptoms are easily mistaken for other illnesses such as problems with the gallbladder or irritable bowel syndrome.

One doctor stated that this form of cancer usually isn't discovered until it has already spread, and when that happens, surgery – which is the only treatment – is no longer an option.  For all of these reasons, pancreatic cancer, while not one of the more common types, is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States.