Pancreatic cancer often goes undetected until it’s advanced and difficult to treat. In the vast majority of cases, symptoms only develop after pancreatic cancer has grown and begun to spread. What are the symptoms of pancreatic cancer, and can any symptoms lead to earlier detection?
Because more than 95% of pancreatic cancer is the adenocarcinoma type, we’ll describe those symptoms first, followed by symptoms of rare forms of pancreatic cancer.Pancreatic Cancer Symptoms: Location MattersInitially, pancreatic cancer tends to be silent and painless as it grows. By the time it’s large enough to cause symptoms, pancreatic cancer has generally grown outside the pancreas. at this point, symptoms depend on the cancer’s location within the pancreas:
- Pancreatic cancer in the head of the pancreas tends to cause symptoms such as weight loss, jaundice (yellow skin), and fat in the stool, with or withoutabdominal pain.
- Pancreatic cancer in the body or tail of the pancreas usually causes belly pain and weight loss.
In general, symptoms appear earlier from pancreatic cancers in the head of the pancreas, compared to those in the body and tail.Pancreatic Cancer: Gastrointestinal SymptomsBecause pancreatic cancer grows around important areas of the digestive system, gastrointestinal symptoms often predominate:
- Abdominal pain. More than 80% of people with pancreatic cancer eventually experience some abdominal pain as the tumor grows. Pancreatic cancer can cause a dull ache in the upper belly and back pain. The pain may come and go.
- Bloating. some people with pancreatic cancer have a sense of early fullness with meals (satiety) or an uncomfortable swelling in the abdomen.
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Fat in the stool (steatorrhea). as pancreatic cancer reduces the pancreas’ ability to secrete fat-digesting enzymes, more fat ends up in the stool. These fatty stools can be strange-smelling, and float more than normal.
- Pale-colored stools. If the duct draining bile into the intestine is blocked by pancreatic cancer, the stools may lose their brown color and become pale or clay-colored. Urine may become darker.
Pancreatic Cancer: Constitutional (Whole-Body) SymptomsAs it grows and spreads, pancreatic cancer affects the whole body. Constitutional symptoms can include:
- Weight loss
- Malaise
- Loss of appetite
- Elevated blood sugars. some people with pancreatic cancer develop diabetes as the cancer impairs the pancreas’ ability to produce insulin. (However, the vast majority of people with a new diagnosis of diabetes do not have pancreatic cancer.)
Pancreatic Cancer: Skin SymptomsJaundice: as pancreatic cancer blocks the duct that releases bile into the intestine (common bile duct), the ingredients of bile build up in the blood. This turns the skin and the eyes yellow, a condition called jaundice.Itching: People with pancreatic cancer sometimes report itching all over. Blockage of the bile ducts is often responsible.Symptoms from Rare Pancreatic CancersIslet cell tumors, also called neuroendocrine tumors, arise from the cells in the pancreas that make hormones. These may be malignant (cancer) or benign (not cancer). Islet cell tumors are quite rare.Like pancreatic adenocarcinoma, islet cell pancreatic cancer can cause abdominal pain, weight loss, nausea, and vomiting. either benign or malignant islet cell tumors can produce excess amounts of hormones. Hormones released by an islet cell tumor can also cause symptoms:
- Insulinomas (excess insulin): sweating, anxiety, lightheadedness, and fainting from low blood sugar.
- Glucagonomas (excess glucagon): diarrhea, excessive thirst or urination, weight loss.
- Gastrinomas (excess gastrin): abdominal pain, nonhealing stomach ulcers, reflux, weight loss.
- Somatostatinomas (excess somatostatin): weight loss, abdominal pain, foul-smelling fatty stools.
- VIPomas (excess vasoactive intestinal peptide): abdominal cramping, watery diarrhea, facial flushing.
Pancreatic Cancer’s Sneaky SymptomsIn a very small number of people with pancreatic cancer, early symptoms might be present that could lead to earlier diagnosis. unfortunately, researchers have been unable to identify any predictable pattern. One study that surveyed 305 people with pancreatic cancer illustrated the challenge:
- About 4% reported having a sudden disgust for preferred tastes (like coffee,smoking, or wine) that preceded other symptoms by more than six months.
- 5% of people had loss of appetite, a feeling of early fullness with meals, or profound weakness, more than six months before more obvious symptoms developed.
- 1% of people had attacks of acute pancreatitis more than six months before their diagnosis with pancreatic cancer.
The rarity of these situations points out the difficulty of using early symptoms to catch pancreatic cancer at a curable stage.That said, symptoms like weight loss, persistent loss of appetite, or light-colored stools should always prompt concern. Consistent or worsening discomfort, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea are also worrisome. If you feel something’s not right, see your doctor.Symptoms from Rare Pancreatic CancersIslet cell tumors, also called neuroendocrine tumors, arise from the cells in the pancreas that make hormones. These may be malignant (cancer) or benign (not cancer). Islet cell tumors are quite rare.Like pancreatic adenocarcinoma, islet cell pancreatic cancer can cause abdominal pain, weight loss, nausea, and vomiting. either benign or malignant islet cell tumors can produce excess amounts of hormones. Hormones released by an islet cell tumor can also cause symptoms:
- Insulinomas (excess insulin): sweating, anxiety, lightheadedness, and fainting from low blood sugar.
- Glucagonomas (excess glucagon): diarrhea, excessive thirst or urination, weight loss.
- Gastrinomas (excess gastrin): abdominal pain, nonhealing stomach ulcers, reflux, weight loss.
- Somatostatinomas (excess somatostatin): weight loss, abdominal pain, foul-smelling fatty stools.
- VIPomas (excess vasoactive intestinal peptide): abdominal cramping, watery diarrhea, facial flushing.
Pancreatic Cancer’s Sneaky SymptomsIn a very small number of people with pancreatic cancer, early symptoms might be present that could lead to earlier diagnosis. unfortunately, researchers have been unable to identify any predictable pattern. One study that surveyed 305 people with pancreatic cancer illustrated the challenge:
- About 4% reported having a sudden disgust for preferred tastes (like coffee,smoking, or wine) that preceded other symptoms by more than six months.
- 5% of people had loss of appetite, a feeling of early fullness with meals, or profound weakness, more than six months before more obvious symptoms developed.
- 1% of people had attacks of acute pancreatitis more than six months before their diagnosis with pancreatic cancer.
The rarity of these situations points out the difficulty of using early symptoms to catch pancreatic cancer at a curable stage.That said, symptoms like weight loss, persistent loss of appetite, or light-colored stools should always prompt concern. Consistent or worsening discomfort, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea are also worrisome. If you feel something’s not right, see your doctor.Pancreatic Cancer Causes still UnknownPancreatic cancer develops when a cell in the pancreas acquires damage to its DNA that causes it to behave and multiply abnormally. a single cancer cell grows and divides rapidly, becoming a tumor that does not respect normal boundaries in the body. Eventually, cells from the tumor can travel elsewhere in the body (metastasize) through the blood or lymphatic system.No one knows exactly how the process of DNA damage leading to pancreatic cancer happens. Analyzing pancreatic cancers removed by surgery shows certain mutations that occur in nearly all cases, and others that vary between people.Some of these mutations happen randomly. Others occur in response to things we do or experience in the environment. some may be inherited. (What, when, and how each mutation occurs is beyond experts’ current understanding.) when enough mutations accumulate, a cell becomes malignant and a tumor begins to grow.Pancreatic Cancer Risk FactorsNo one understands the underlying causes of pancreatic cancer, but certain risk factors for pancreatic cancer have been identified. These factors are present more often in people who get pancreatic cancer than in people who don’t.There are multiple pancreatic risk factors, although most are only weakly associated with pancreatic cancer. Many people with pancreatic cancer don’t have any one risk factor.About one in 76 people will develop pancreatic cancer. This represents the average risk of pancreatic cancer. People with any of the pancreatic risk factors are at slightly higher risk than the general population:
- Genetics. five percent to 10% of people with pancreatic cancer have an immediate family member who also has pancreatic cancer. Several different genes have been associated with the increased risk, although no “pancreatic cancer gene” has yet been identified.
- Diabetes. People with diabetes are slightly more likely to get pancreatic cancer. There’s some controversy in these cases as to whether diabetes causespancreatic cancer, or if the pancreas starts to malfunction before cancer develops, causing diabetes.
- Smoking. Cigarette smoking is well known to increase the risk for pancreatic cancer. The more a person smokes, the higher the risk of pancreatic cancer. ten years after quitting smoking, the risk returns to about that of someone who never smoked.
- Obesity and inactivity. In a study of 88,000 nurses, those who were obese (body mass index higher than 30) were more likely to develop pancreatic cancer. those who exercised frequently were about half as likely to get pancreatic cancer, compared to those who did not exercise at all.
- Diet. can what we eat cause pancreatic cancer? a diet high in fat and meat (especially smoked or processed meat) has been linked to pancreatic cancer in some studies. Eating a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables decreased pancreatic cancer risk in other studies. still other studies suggest there’s no identifiable link between diet and pancreatic cancer.
- Lycopene and selenium. Studies have shown low levels of these nutrients in some people who developed pancreatic cancer. That’s not proof that low levels cause pancreatic cancer, though. Any diet that includes lean meat and red or yellow vegetables should provide adequate lycopene and selenium.
Eliminating your risk factors for pancreatic cancer won’t reduce your pancreatic cancer risk entirely. but eating a healthy diet, keeping a healthy weight, and exercising frequently will improve overall health, and reduce your risk of other health problems.