Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer has been called a "silent" disease because, in its early stages, it doesn't usually cause symptoms. Pancreatic cancer is difficult to cure beyond its early stages, but it can be treated so that symptoms can be relieved and quality of life can be improved.

Several types of cancer can develop in the pancreas. Most begin in the ducts that carry pancreatic juices. A rare type of pancreatic cancer begins in the cells that produce insulin and other hormones, and it is called islet cell cancer.

Your doctor will want to determine the stage, or extent, of your cancer and whether any nearby organs are affected. Several procedures can help your doctor with this assessment.

• An upper GI series (also called a barium swallow) is a series of X-rays of the upper digestive system taken after the patient drinks a barium solution.
• CAT scanning, MRI and ultrasound can also be used.
• ERCP is a method of taking X-rays of the common bile duct and pancreatic ducts with a long flexible tube passed down the throat.
• Endoscopic ultrasound allows for examination of the pancreas through the stomach and allows for safe directed biopsy.
• PTC is a procedure in which dye is injected into the bile ducts through a thin needle inserted into the liver through the abdomen.
• Another option is angiography, which takes X-rays of blood vessels after dye has been injected.

Researchers are testing several types of immunotherapy, alone or in conjunction with other treatments. Immunotherapy may be used when pancreatic cancer has spread to other organs or when the cancer has recurred. Most of these treatments are given by injection.

Pancreatic Cancer Fact Sheet