What is pancreatic cancer? Pancreatic cancer is a highly malignant pancreatic cancer in recent years around the world have significantly increased the incidence trend, according to the Shanghai statistics, nearly 40 years the incidence of pancreatic cancer increased about 3 times. Disease and age-related, more common in 40-70 years. In the incidence of different parts of the pancreas, pancreatic cancer, 60% -70%, followed by pancreatic body, accounting for 20% -30% tail of the pancreas least 5% -10%, there are about 5% of all pancreatic cancer . Most originated in the pancreatic duct epithelial cells, mostly level, two large pancreatic duct epithelial cells, a few from the small pancreatic duct epithelial cells (ductal adenocarcinoma or pancreatic adenocarcinoma), pancreatic acinar cells were from rare, the quality from relatively soft and often accompanied by pancreatic duct epithelial cells, fibrous tissue increased, the quality is very solid. Because early symptoms of pancreatic cancer occult, the lack of specific performance, so early diagnosis is far from difficult, when there already is more than the typical symptoms of advanced, treatment is not satisfactory, a high mortality rate. 5-year survival rate of national statistical 2% -10%. Early pancreatic cancer refers to the diameter of the so-called <2 em, confined to the pancreas, the pancreas within the package in the pancreas. Such as the pancreas have been worn package, to the surrounding tissue invasion, but surgical resection can also be called the early pancreatic cancer are a pancreatic cancer. Cause of pancreatic cancer is unclear, probably with smoking, impaired glucose tolerance or diabetes, chronic pancreatitis, alcohol and so on. While the early warning signs of pancreatic trace / 11! Iifl dial mushroom wall, the lack of wheat classes was ectopic, but most kept some foul meal celebration of pancreatic cancer symptoms, the disease has been wary of faith are:
(A) upper abdominal pain and discomfort
Early lesions are often on the abdomen, a wider scope and difficult to locate the site of deep discomfort, pain or dull pain, patients do not use your finger precisely that, and more uniform in the abdomen with your fingers a large area, or placed in the palm the range of gestures abdominal discomfort. Not more than the vague nature, can not clearly described. About half of these patients had a clear upper abdominal pain, most of the light gradually increased, so that pancreatic cancer may be due to increased oppression of the pancreatic duct, the pancreatic duct obstruction, dilation, distortion, and increased pressure on the abdomen caused by persistent pain as the tumor gradually increases, increased sexual pain. Some of the common bile duct obstruction associated with early stage pancreatic cancer causes severe paroxysmal abdominal pain, and sometimes complicated with pancreatitis caused by pain. Advanced pancreatic cancer, especially pancreatic body, pancreatic tail cancer, the cancer invasion causing compression on the celiac plexus abdominal pain, often accompanied by severe back pain, the typical person when the pain increased in the supine, sit up or bending forward, knees reduce pain, and sometimes at night because of pain in patients with anxiety was removed, can not sleep.
(B) weight loss
Patients complained of weight loss is also common symptoms of pancreatic cancer patients, sometimes up to 15kg or more weight loss, usually progressive weight loss, in addition to a variety of pain associated with the above, but also often accompanied by weakness, fatigue and other symptoms. In addition to weight loss because cancer patients often accompanied by foreign consumption loss of appetite, eating less or because of epigastric discomfort after eating or induced abdominal pain rather than eating. In addition exocrine pancreatic dysfunction or outflow obstruction by the pancreatic duct, affecting the digestion and absorption of food. Therefore, if a sudden weight loss in patients with significant, together with abdominal pain, should be highly alert to the possibility of pancreatic cancer.
(C) Yellow Course
Is pancreatic cancer, in particular, an important symptom of pancreatic cancer is due to the violation of common bile duct or oppression caused the yellow extrahepatic obstructive disease. Aggravated sexual disease often has yellow, with occasional minor fluctuations, but can not be completely dissipated. Huang temporary blast mitigation, in the early periampullary may be associated with the inflammation subsided related to late stage of the invasion of common bile duct due to tumor ulceration. Pancreatic body, pancreatic tail carcinoma invading the head of pancreas, such as yellow when the blast occurred. Some patients with pancreatic cancer appears yellow in the late stage disease is due to a liver disease caused by hepatic yellow. Nearly half of the patients in the yellow plague is often palpable enlargement of the gallbladder and common bile duct obstruction that is related to certain of the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Sometimes the signs of physical examination, enlargement of the gallbladder can not be touched for B-ultrasound is able to display. If the original chronic cholecystitis and gallbladder may atrophy is swollen, so swollen gallbladder was not found can not rule out pancreatic cancer.
(D) abdominal mass
As signs of advanced pancreatic cancer. Irregular lumps of different sizes, quality solid set, may have tenderness. Abdominal mass is a rare signs prevalent in the pancreatic body, pancreatic tail cancer.
(E) other unusual symptoms
Especially in the elderly can have the following:
(1) Patients often complaint of fever, significant fatigue. Some patients can still have small joints red, swollen, hot, pain, necrosis of subcutaneous fat around the joints and unexplained testicular pain. Supraclavicular, axillary and inguinal lymph node metastasis of pancreatic cancer may also be due to enlargement.
(2) of the original spirit of the sudden appearance of normal elderly anxiety, impatience, depression, personality changes and other symptoms of mental disorder, may be wary of pancreatic cancer. May be due to many patients with intractable abdominal pain and can not sleep, and can not eat normally so easy to have an impact on mental and emotional.
(3) the elderly in the near future occurrence of low back pain, with multiple thrombosis or migratory thrombophlebitis, sometimes the first symptom of pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic body, pancreatic tail cancer thrombophlebitis were more and more in the lower extremities, swelling in the differentiation of pancreatic cancer are more likely better, sometimes without clinical symptoms. Prevalent in the pulmonary artery thrombosis, occasionally in the spleen, kidney, coronary and cerebral arteries. With cancer may promote thrombosis in the secretion of certain substances.
(4) abdominal vascular murmur: when cancer abdominal aorta or splenic artery compression can be heard in the left upper quadrant Cullen or hair-like vascular murmur its occurrence rate is about 1%. Generally pancreatic body, pancreatic tail cancer common.
What is pancreatic cancer (5) and occasionally there may be indigestion, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, acute cholecystitis or cholangitis and other gastrointestinal symptoms. At this point in the differential diagnosis of pancreatic cancer may also be thought of.