Symptoms and stages of cancer of the head of the pancreas

Pancreatic head cancer is diagnosed more often than cancer elsewhere in this organ.

According to statistics, a tumor in the upper part of the pancreas is diagnosed in about 90% of cases.

This disease is very dangerous, because at the initial stage of its development the symptoms are practically absent, which allows the disease to continue to develop unhindered.

At a later stage, when the symptoms of the disease manifest themselves brightly, the prognosis for a favorable outcome becomes negative, and the treatment only slightly prolongs the life of the patient.

Pancreatic Oncology

As the statistics indicate, pancreatic cancer is mainly caused by people from 40 years of age, at an early age, the occurrence of the disease is unlikely.

It should be noted that among sick men twice as many as women, and the disease is much more common in Europe and North America than in Africa, Asia and South America.

What is the reason for this geographical distribution is a mystery for scientists.

In cancer of the pancreas head, doctors diagnose various types of tumors. In 85% - 90% of cases, ductal adenocarcinoma occurs, that is, malignant formation has arisen from duct cells.

The probability of giant cell adenocarcinoma is about 6%, ferriferous squamous cell carcinoma - 3% - 4%, mucinous adenocarcinoma - 1% - 3%.

Less than 1% of the total appearance statistics occupy various rare types of tumors, such as insulinoma, gastrinoma, glucagon.

The disease is extremely serious, because even surgical intervention and proper treatment allows patients to live mostly no more than a year.

According to statistics, less than 5% of patients after this diagnosis live more than 5 years.

Pancreatic head cancer is divided into stages:

• is the zero stage - the tumor only begins to form. Symptoms of its appearance are absent. Not prone to metastasis;
• the first stage. Malignant formation grows and usually reaches two centimeters in diameter. There are no metastases. Perhaps its accidental detection in the diagnosis of the pancreas for the presence of other diseases. The tumor is operable, proper treatment and a healthy lifestyle provide a favorable prognosis for the complete disposal of the disease;
• the second stage. Secondary foci of the disease begin to appear, primary symptoms appear. There are no metastases. Lymph nodes or nearby organs are affected. It is recommended to perform an operation to remove the affected area and further treatment with chemotherapy. The prognosis is generally unfavorable, but proper treatment can seriously prolong a patient's life;
• the third stage. Nerves and vessels are affected, the symptoms are very bright. At this stage, even after surgery, other diseases may occur. Strongly affected are the nearby organs - the stomach, duodenum. The outlook is unfavorable. Treatment is directed mainly to reduce pain;
• the fourth stage. It is considered hopeless. There are many metastases in lymph nodes and distant organs, there is a general intoxication of the body. Forecast is a fatal outcome. The treatment is aimed at the relief of well-being.

Causes and symptoms of

The cause of cancer of the head of the pancreas can be many factors.

However, all of them lead to the defeat of DNA cells, which entails their mutation and uncontrolled division, and as a result - the formation of a malignant tumor.

The main cause of pancreatic cancer is chronic pancreatitis.

Video:

Because of prolonged inflammation of the walls of the body, many tissue decay products begin to form, which accumulate and can cause changes in the genetic code of the cells.

Also scientists note the connection between the onset of pancreatic cancer and smoking. Tobacco smoke is also able to influence the cells of the body and cause in them the above mutations.

Another possible cause of the disease is a large amount of meat food in the diet of the patient, congenital genetic abnormalities, various oncogenic viruses, ingesting a large number of carcinogens( with products, water, from the air).

These are familiar to all pesticides, household chemical particles, salts of heavy metals - all that is hardly excreted by the body and has a destructive effect on it.

There is no direct connection between the onset of pancreatic head cancer and alcohol abuse, but alcoholic beverages are the main cause of chronic pancreatitis, which can lead to oncology.

Scientists have noticed an interesting fact - it turns out that 95% of patients in the body have a Helicobacter pylori bacterium, but no evidence of its influence on the development of pancreatic cancer has been found.

At an early stage of the cancer of the head of the pancreas, symptoms are extremely poor.

First of all, the patient should be alerted by a swelling and a feeling of discomfort in the epigastric region, weakness in the whole body, malaise, severe weight loss, although there is no reason for this, loss of appetite.

Other symptoms begin to appear later: nausea and vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, jaundice often develops.

Video:

Yellowing of the skin is evidence that the tumor affects the bile ducts already, which characterizes the severe stages of the pancreatic head cancer.

Other symptoms are also possible: severe back pain, and at a more severe stage, pain is aggravated, thirst, dry mouth.

Inflammation of the veins on the legs, i.e., thrombophlebitis( a symptom only in the absence of varicose veins or other factors contributing to the development of vascular problems), abdominal enlargement( usually occurs with a severe stage of pancreatic head cancer) is also described as possible symptoms.

How is cancer treated?

Because of the small size at an early stage, the disease is extremely difficult to diagnose.

To do this, do not try to get rid of discomfort in the primary symptoms of pancreatic cancer on your own, and consult a doctor for a detailed examination of internal organs.

To do this, use ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, with a suspicion of cancer necessarily hold a biopsy of the pancreas.

Doctors view surgery as the only effective way to cure this terrible disease.

If it is lucky to detect the disease at an early stage, it is possible to conduct chemotherapy in order to reduce the size of the formation.

This will facilitate the operation and increase the chances of a favorable outcome.

In case of detection of cancer at a late stage, the treatment consists of an operation to remove foci of the disease and further chemotherapy.

It will help reduce pain and prolong the life of the patient. Chemotherapy is also used if the tumor is found to be inoperable.

In this case, the treatment is aimed only at a slight improvement in the life of the patient before the inevitable death.

In the fight against cancer, pancreatic heads also use radiation therapy, palliative and symptomatic treatment, but these methods are not popular with doctors and are used rarely.

They consist in restoring the patency of the digestive organs, taking medications for anesthesia and detoxification, but the tumor itself does not get touched.

Because mainly pancreatic cancer is diagnosed at a severe stage, the main goal of treatment is to make life easier for a person and to reduce pain.

When treating cancer of the pancreas head, in no case should you forget about proper nutrition.

The attending physician may appoint a special diet to the patient, which will help the digestive organs function normally and improve the general condition of the patient.

As with most diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, it is prohibited to eat fatty, spicy foods, sweet, fizzy, carbonated drinks, smoking and alcohol are also abolished.

Meat can only be eaten, porridge, fresh vegetables and fruits are also allowed, which do not increase acidity in the stomach, tea, non-acid compotes.

With a diet, the condition of patients can significantly improve.

Video:

The main problem of pancreatic head cancer is that the symptoms begin to appear very late, and these are usually severe stages of the disease, the prognosis of which is extremely unfavorable.

The earlier the cancer was found, the longer the patient will live, of course, with the time of the operation, a healthy lifestyle and proper treatment.