What Is Pancreatic Cancer?

Though relatively rare, pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States.

Cancer is a disease characterized by the abnormal, out-of-control growth of cells.

Pancreatic cancer occurs when this happens in the pancreas, a glad of the digestive and endocrine systems.

The pancreas helps the body digest food by secreting pancreatic juices containing digestive enzymes.

It also regulates blood glucose levels by secreting various hormones, notably insulin.

Pancreatic cancer is often life-threatening, and ranks as the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

Pancreatic Cancer Prevalence

     Compared with other cancers, pancreatic cancer is relatively rare, representing about 3 percent of all new cancer cases in the United States each year, according to the NCI.

The agency estimates that the country will see 48,960 new cases of pancreatic cancer in 2015, along with 40,560 deaths related to pancreatic cancer — representing almost 7 percent of the year's cancer deaths.

Pancreatic cancer predominately affects the elderly, and it is rare in people younger than 40 years old. The median age of pancreatic cancer diagnosis is 71.

The cancer is also about 30 percent more common in men than in women, and slightly more common in African Americans than in people of other races, according to the NCI.

Causes and Risk Factors

    Like all cancers, pancreatic cancer is caused by changes to the DNA of certain cells, which cause the cells to grow abnormally.

Various factors can make you more prone to getting pancreatic cancer.

Aside from age, race, and gender, risk factors include having any of the following medical conditions:

    Diabetes
    Chronic pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)
    Cirrhosis, a form of scarring of the liver
    A family history of pancreatic cancer
    Inherited genetic mutations or disorders

However, other risk factors are related to lifestyle choices and can be changed.

For instance, smokers are about twice as likely to develop pancreatic cancer as people who have never smoked, according to the American Cancer Society.

People who are overweight or obese, or who have experienced heavy exposure to pesticides, dyes, or chemicals at work, are also at increased risk for pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic Cancer Stages

  
      Pancreatic cancer is often categorized as being in one of five stages, which describe how far the cancer has spread and can help guide treatment:

    Stage 0: Also called carcinoma in situ, this stage occurs when there are abnormal cells in the lining of the pancreas that have not spread into deeper tissues of the organ.
    Stage 1: Cancer has formed, but it is still confined to the pancreas. The cancer is considered stage 1A if the tumor is 2 centimeters (cm) or smaller in diameter, and stage 1B if the tumor is larger than 2 cm.
    Stage 2: The tumor has spread beyond the
    Stage 3: The tumor has spread to nearby major blood vessels or nerves, but has not yet spread to distant body areas.
    Stage 4: The tumor has spread to distant tissues and organs, such as the lungs or liver.

Sources; http://www.everydayhealth.com/pancreatic-cancer/
pancreas. In stage 2A, the cancer has spread to nearby tissues and organs, but not to nearby lymph nodes. In stage 2B, the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes.