Pancreatic Tumors
Pancreatic cancer occurs within the tissues of the pancreas, which is a vital endocrine organ located behind the stomach.
Function of pancreas:
- The pancreas plays an essential role in digestion by producing enzymes that the body needs to digest fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.
- The pancreas also produces two important hormones: glucagon and insulin. These hormones are responsible for controlling glucose (sugar) metabolism. Insulin helps cells metabolize glucose to make energy and glucagon helps raise glucose levels when they are too low.
- Due to the location of the pancreas, pancreatic cancer may be difficult to detect and is often diagnosed in more advanced stages of the disease.
Treatment:
- Treatment for pancreatic cancer depends on the stage of cancer.
- It has two goals: to kill cancerous cells and to prevent the spread of the disease.
Complications:
Weight loss, bowel obstruction, abdominal pain, and liver failure are among the most common complications during pancreatic cancer treatment.
Surgery:
- The decision to use surgery to treat pancreatic cancer comes down to two things: the location of the cancer and the stage of the cancer.
- Surgery can remove all or some portions of the pancreas.
- This can eliminate the original tumor, but it will not remove cancer that has spread to other portions of the body.
- Surgery may not be suitable for people with advanced stage pancreatic cancer for that reason.
Radiation Therapy Other treatment options must be explored once the cancer spreads outside of the pancreas. Radiation therapy uses X-rays and other high-energy beams to kill the cancer cells.
Chemotherapy In some cases, your doctor might combine other treatments with chemotherapy, which uses cancer-killing drugs to help prevent future growth of cancer cells.
Targeted therapy type of cancer treatment uses drugs or other measures to specifically target cancer cells and work to destroy them. These drugs are designed not to harm healthy or normal cells.