Is This a Symptom of Pancreatic Cancer?

Before we discuss the symptoms of pancreatic cancer in more detail, let's have a look at the disease's definition first. Pancreatic cancer, also referred to as pancreatic carcinoma, is a cancerous health condition in which a malignant tumor growths in the pancreas.

This form of cancer is typically rather slow growing and only limited treatment options are available, which are all strongly depended on the stage of the disease and the patient's overall health.

Pancreatic cancer in its early stage may not show any symptoms at all. This of course, makes the detection rather difficult. Ergo before a conclusive diagnosis is typically made, the cancer has already advanced to a later stage.

The fact of the matter is, once the cancer has already spread the chances of treating it effectively, let alone curing it, decrease proportionally. Therefore, it is highly advisable to consult with an expert health care professional to seek adequate medical attention even at the slightest encounter of the symptoms listed below.

And I'm not just saying this, I in fact have a good reason for emphasizing this point as it might have saved my life; I encountered blood in my urine back in September of 2009. On the first day I didn't think too much of it, primarily because I was in no pain. On day number two, though, I told my wife and she insisted on making an appointment with an Urologist. Three weeks later I was diagnosed with kidney cancer. A 6.2 cm tumor had consumed my left kidney entirely and the organ had to be removed via a laparoscopic robotic radical nephrectomy. Fortunately, the cancer was confined to the kidney and had not spread any further yet. Otherwise, my prognosis would have been significantly worse.

But let's go back to the symptoms of pancreatic cancer. The early signs include abdominal pain, jaundice (which is a when the skin and the eyes have a yellowish appearance), fatigue, nausea, vomiting, dark urine, loss of weight and appetite.

At later stages of the disease, other less common pancreatic cancer symptoms are seen in patients, such as depression and mood swings, blood clotting, indigestion and diarrhea.

I am not a friend of numbers and statistics when it comes to survival rates of cancers. But I think it is a reasonable statement to say that pancreatic cancer has a poor prognosis. And that is not because it is a particularly aggressive form, however, due to the fact that in the vast majority of diagnoses the disease is already at an advanced stage.

In order to reduce the risk of developing pancreatic cancer, it is advisable to watch your body weight and avoid smoking. The healthier and fitter you are, the less like it is that you develop any kind of serious health conditions.

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