As we know, this killer disease has no symptoms and only diagnose when it's too late. what could be done to avoid this or what to do to find out if you are not getting this? does it start by having stomach aches or similar to indigestion or colon cancer symptoms?
It isn't just pancreatic cancer that has no symptoms until it is advanced . . that is true of all most every single cancer . . and there are over 200 different types and just as many rare subtypes. Cancer is a progressive disease which means it start out microscopic and grows indefinitely. Tiny. big. Bigger. Large. Enormous. When it is tiny no one can find it in a body . . it is too small to be noticed . . cancer is not something foreign . . it is your own DNA that has mutated . . so the body considers a cancer just another part of the body. Small cancer can co-incide quite nicely inside the body . . it isn't until the cancer begins to invade surrounding tissue at the Bigger or Large stage that it may be noticed.
So . . no cancer does not 'start' by having stomach aches or similar indigestion . . by the time you feel any of that . . the cancer is advanced. you literally . . feel nothing . .when cancer first starts. and the rest will depend on how aggressive the type of tumor you have .. some grow very fast and can take days or weeks . . but some grow very slowly and can take years. If you have a fast growing tumor than the cancer may be noticable sooner but it is hard to get into treatment quick enough to stop it or slow it down . . if the tumors are slower growing than you may have more 'time' to make decisions about treatment. This fact is often confusing to people . . they do not realize that many cancers are aggressive and fast growing and that time is critical (you don't have time to 'experiment' with treatments to see what will work – you might only get one chance to control the disease). and, than there are other types of slower growing cancers in which people do have more time to try out treatments. Treatment for cancer can be complicated by many factors . . which is why it is difficult to treat and why there is no 'cure' for all cancers at this moment. There is treatment though for all cancer types and that treatment could lead to an individual remission or 'cure'. . no guarantee though.
A well known survivor of pancreatic cancer is Steven Jobs, the founder of the Apple Computer who was diagnosed in 2004 and is doing very well.
My aunt unfortunately has this. she started having problems with her stomach, like bad indigestion and pain in the stomach. she had tests, barium meal which showed up nothing. Then a year ago, she developed jaundice, which after that they discovered it was pancreatic cancer. she is now really thin, but getting chemotherapy, and has gained a few pounds. she has been told there is no cure and all they can do is try and shrink the tumour.
the classical sign of pancreatic ca is migratory thrombophlebitis.. although rarely seen..
unfortunately as u have correctly put … diagnosis is usually late…
anorexia is one of the earliest signs.
sometimes patient may present with features of obstructive jaundice..
they may even present with features of acute pancreatitis….
rarely.. an asymptomatic lump in the upper abdomen