Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic Cancer
Seeking information about the pancreas and pancreatic cancer can feel overwhelming or frightening, especially if you’re unsure about what’s ahead for you or a loved one. Having the right information can help lessen some of these feelings. Here you will find reliable information about the pancreas and pancreatic cancer along with diagnosis, symptoms, risks, treatment, side effects, diet and nutrition and some useful websites to visit.
About the pancreas
The pancreas is a large gland that sits behind the stomach in the back of the abdomen. It is part of the digestive system. The pancreas produces enzymes and hormones that help digest and absorb the food we eat. The pancreas is shaped a bit like a tadpole. It is often described as having a head, body, and tail.
The pancreas is a large gland that sits behind the stomach in the back of the abdomen. It is part of the digestive system. The pancreas produces enzymes and hormones that help digest and absorb the food we eat. The pancreas is shaped a bit like a tadpole. It is often described as having a head, body, and tail.
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The pancreas is about 15cm (6 inches) long and is surrounded by several large and important organs and blood vessels. The head of the pancreas is closely attached to the duodenum (the top part of the small intestine).
The pancreas has two key functions as part of the digestive system.
1. It produces the hormone insulin that controls the level of sugar in the body
2. It produces pancreatic enzymes that aid in the chemical breakdown of food so nutrients can be absorbed in the intestine.
These enzymes flow down the pancreatic duct into the small intestine.
The common bile duct that carries the bile from the liver also passes through the head of the pancreas to empty in the duodenum. The large blood vessels that carry blood to the liver, intestines, kidneys, and lower part of the body can all be in contact with the pancreas.
The World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition have created this video to highlight the functions of the pancreas as well as the signs, symptoms and risks of pancreatic cancer. Please note that this video contains statistics about pancreatic cancer survival rates.
What is pancreatic cancer?
Pancreatic cancer occurs when abnormal cells in the pancreas grow out of control. Pancreatic cancer can occur in the head, body, or tail of the pancreas but is most common in the head of the pancreas.
Pancreatic cancers are divided into two main types – exocrine tumours and endocrine tumours:
Exocrine tumours or adenocarcinomas
Exocrine tumours start in the cells that make enzymes to help digestion (exocrine cells) in the inner lining of the pancreatic ducts. 95% of pancreatic cancers are classified as exocrine tumours and about 90% of these are called pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAC)
Endocrine tumours or neuroendocrine tumours or NETs
Endocrine tumours start in the hormone producing cells and account for only 5% of all pancreatic cancers.
Useful Websites & Patient Support
Information on these pages was collated with grateful assistance from the PanCare Foundation.
DISCLAIMER: Information provided by the Gut Cancer Foundation should be discussed with your healthcare professional and is not a substitute for their advice, diagnosis, treatment, or other healthcare services. In some cases, information has been gathered from Australian sources and should be discussed with New Zealand health care professionals.
