Pancreatic cancer doesn’t get the headlines like some other forms of cancer, but it’s imperative that more people learn about the warning signs of this deadly condition. In an effort to raise awareness, November has been declared National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, and November 17 has been declared World Pancreatic Cancer Day. We want to do our part to spread information about pancreatic cancer, so we’ve put together some facts and figures in today’s blog post.
Deadly Disease
Pancreatic cancer is truly a deadly disease, and that’s evident by the fact that pancreatic cancer recently surpassed breast cancer to become the third leading cause of cancer related deaths in America, despite the fact that far more people are diagnosed with breast cancer than pancreatic cancer each year. That’s because pancreatic cancer is the most deadly form of cancer. Medical data shows that only five to eight percent of people who are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer will survive beyond five years of their diagnosis. Estimates suggest 53,000 people will be diagnosed with the condition this year, and 41,000 others will lose their battle with pancreatic cancer this year.
Pancreatic cancer is very deadly, but patients face better survival odds if they catch the disease in its infancy. Unfortunately, the warning signs of pancreatic cancer mimic other conditions, so diagnosis is often delayed. Here’s a list of seven of the most common symptoms expressed during the early stages of pancreatic cancer.
- Pain in the abdomen of back
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
- Nausea
- Jaundice of the skin or eyes
- Bowel changes
- Recent onset diabetes
Pancreatic Cancer Risk Factor
Aside from symptoms, there are also some risk factors that can make a person more likely to develop pancreatic cancer. Those risk factors include: A family history of the condition, having diabetes, smoking, obesity, and having chronic or acute pancreatitis. Medical data also shows that pancreatic cancer is more common in older populations, in African Americans, and in men.
Doctors recommend that if you have a family history of the condition, or if you meet the criteria for a couple of the risk factors listed above that you talk with an endocrine specialist or your primary care physician about undergoing yearly pancreatic cancer screenings. For more information about the condition, or to learn more about Pancreatic Cancer Awareness month or World Pancreatic Cancer Day, head on over to pancan.org.
