The Pancreas is an amazing abdominal organ found just behind the stomach that helps in the digestion of food, as well as in the regulation of sugar levels in the blood. The organ, which is about 6 inches in size, contains both exocrine glands (responsible for producing ezymes such as amylase which breaks down the food in the gut into easily absorbable compounds); and endocrine glands, which produce insulin and glucagon, hormones that control how the body absorbs, mobilizes and stores sugar from the blood. Unfortunately, just like most organs of the body, the pancreas can develop cancer too.
Pancreatic cancer is treatable. However, since the disease doesn’t cause symptoms until it has metastasized or spread to other organs, it is rarely found early in its development when it is easiest to cure, hence its other name: The Silent Disease. Unlike other cancers, patients rarely feel ill during the early stages, nor do they see or feel a lump or mass that would nudge them to seek help.
But there are signs and symptoms, despite the difficulty of catching the disease early, that can help alert patients if something’s amiss. Here are 21 signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer to be on the look-out for.
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