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The Pancreas
The pancreas is
a gland located
deep in the abdomen between
the stomach and the spine (backbone). The liver, intestine,
and other organs surround the pancreas.
The pancreas is about 6 inches long and is shaped like a
flat pear. The widest part of the pancreas is the head, the
middle section is the body, and the thinnest part is the
tail.
The pancreas makes insulin and
other hormones.
These hormones enter the bloodstream and travel throughout
the body. They help the body use or store the energy that
comes from food. For example, insulin helps control the amount
of sugar in the blood.
The pancreas also makes pancreatic
juices. These juices contain enzymes that
help digest food. The pancreas releases the juices into
a system of ducts leading
to the common
bile duct. The common bile duct empties into
the duodenum,
the first section of the small intestine.
Understanding Cancer
Cancer is a group of many related diseases. All cancers
begin in cells,
the body's basic unit of life. Cells make up tissues,
and tissues make up the organs of the body.
Normally, cells grow and divide to form new cells as the
body needs them. When cells grow old and die, new cells take
their place.
Sometimes this orderly process breaks down. New cells form
when the body does not need them, or old cells do not die
when they should. These extra cells can form a mass of tissue
called a growth or tumor.
Tumors can be benign or malignant:
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Benign tumors are not cancer. Usually,
doctors can remove them. In most cases, benign tumors
do not come back after they are removed. Cells from benign
tumors do not spread to tissues around them or to other
parts of the body. Most important, benign tumors are
rarely a threat to life.
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Malignant tumors are cancer. They are
generally more serious and may be life threatening. Cancer
cells can invade and damage nearby tissues and organs.
Also, cancer cells can break away from a malignant tumor
and enter the bloodstream or lymphatic
system. That is how cancer cells spread from
the original cancer (primary
tumor) to form new tumors in other organs. The
spread of cancer is called metastasis.
Most pancreatic cancers begin in the ducts that carry pancreatic
juices. Cancer of the pancreas may be called pancreatic
cancer or carcinoma of
the pancreas.
A rare type of pancreatic cancer begins in the cells that
make insulin and other hormones. Cancer that begins in these
cells is called islet
cell cancer. This booklet does not deal with this
rare disease. The Cancer Information Service (1-800-4-CANCER)
can provide information about islet cell cancer.
When cancer of the pancreas spreads (metastasizes)
outside the pancreas, cancer cells are often found in nearby lymph
nodes. If the cancer has reached these nodes, it
means that cancer cells may have spread to other lymph nodes
or other tissues, such as the liver or lungs. Sometimes cancer
of the pancreas spreads to the peritoneum,
the tissue that lines the abdomen.
When cancer spreads from its original place to another part
of the body, the new tumor has the same kind of abnormal
cells and the same name as the primary tumor. For example,
if cancer of the pancreas spreads to the liver, the cancer
cells in the liver are pancreatic cancer cells. The disease
is metastatic pancreatic cancer, not liver cancer. It is
treated as pancreatic cancer, not liver cancer.
Pancreatic Cancer: Who's at Risk?
No one knows the exact causes of pancreatic cancer. Doctors
can seldom explain why one person gets pancreatic cancer
and another does not. However, it is clear that this disease
is not contagious. No one can "catch" cancer from another
person.
Research has shown that people with certain risk
factors are more likely than others to develop
pancreatic cancer. A risk factor is anything that increases
a person's chance of developing a disease.
Studies have found the following risk factors:
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Age -- The likelihood of developing
pancreatic cancer increases with age. Most pancreatic
cancers occur in people over the age of 60.
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Smoking -- Cigarette smokers are two
or three times more likely than nonsmokers to develop
pancreatic cancer.
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Diabetes --
Pancreatic cancer occurs more often in people who have
diabetes than in people who do not.
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Being male -- More men than women are
diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
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Being African American -- African Americans
are more likely than Asians, Hispanics, or whites to
get pancreatic cancer.
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Family history -- The risk for developing
pancreatic cancer triples if a person's mother, father,
sister, or brother had the disease. Also, a family history
of colon or ovarian cancer increases the risk of pancreatic
cancer.
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Chronic pancreatitis --
Chronic pancreatitis is a painful condition of the pancreas.
Some evidence suggests that chronic pancreatitis may
increase the risk of pancreatic cancer.
Other studies suggest that exposure to certain chemicals
in the workplace or a diet high in fat may increase the chance
of getting pancreatic cancer.
Most people with known risk factors do not get pancreatic
cancer. On the other hand, many who do get the disease have
none of these factors. People who think they may be at risk
for pancreatic cancer should discuss this concern with their
doctor. The doctor may suggest ways to reduce the risk and
can plan an appropriate schedule for checkups.
To read the rest of this great article from the National
Cancer Institute, please click here: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/pancreas/page4
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