Pancreatic Cancer: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment | GetWellGo

Pancreatic cancer affects your pancreas, a gland that helps with digestion. find the best doctors for Symptoms, Causes & Treatment | GetWellGo

Pancreatic Cancer: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment | GetWellGo

  • Category

    Cancer

  • Published By

    GetWellGo Team

  • Updated on

    31-Mar-2025

Pancreatic Cancer Symptoms​

Pancreatic cancer symptoms often appear in the later stages and can be vague. Common symptoms include:

  • Jaundice
  • Unexplained Weight Loss
  • Loss of Appetite
  • Abdominal or Back Pain
  • Dark Urine or Pale Stools
  • Nausea and Vomiting
  • Digestive Issues
  • New-Onset Diabetes
  • Fatigue and Weakness
  • Itchy Skin

Pancreatic Cancer Treatment​

The management of pancreatic cancers depends with the stage, site of disease and the general health of the patient. Common treatment options include:

Surgery

Whipple procedure (Pancreaticoduodenectomy): Removes the head of the pancreas, part of the small intestine, gallbladder, and bile duct.

Distal Pancreatectomy: Removes the tail and sometimes part of the body of the pancreas.

Total Pancreatectomy: Surgical removal of the entire pancreas.

Chemotherapy

  • Applied before surgery in an attempt to reduce the size of tumors before the actual surgery (neoadjuvant therapy) or after surgery to kill the remaining cancerous cells (adjuvant therapy).
  • Common drugs: Gemcitabine, FOLFIRINOX (combination therapy).

Radiation Therapy

  • High-energy beams target cancer cells. Often combined with chemotherapy.

Targeted Therapy

  • Focuses on specific genetic changes in cancer cells (e.g., Erlotinib for patients with specific mutations).

Immunotherapy

  • Helps the immune system attack cancer (e.g., checkpoint inhibitors for patients with specific biomarkers).

Pancreatic Cancer Stages​

Pancreatic cancer is mainly grouped according to the extent to which it has progressed. The stages are:

Stage 0 (Carcinoma in Situ)

  • Tumour cells are present in the pancreas tissue, but it has not metastasized.

Stage 1 (Localized)

  • 1A: Organ confined to the pancreas and tumor size is ≤2 cm.
  • 1B: Tumor size is between 2 to 4 centimeters and it is not invaded other parts of the pancreas at all.

Stage 2 (Locally Advanced)

  • 2A: The tumor is more than 4 cm in size but it is still confined to the area of origin and not spread to the lymph nodes.

  • Stage 2 B: Tumor has extended to the nearby lymph nodes but not to other parts of the body.

Stage 3 (Advanced)

  • The tumor has expanded to involving adjacent major blood vessels and/or more axillary lymph nodes but not to any distant organs.

Stage 4 (Metastatic)

  • Lung, liver, or other organs may become invaded by the cancer; hence, peritoneum or lining of the abdomen may also be colonized by this type of cancer.

Pancreatic Cancer Causes​

There is no identified cause of pancreatic cancer; however, certain factors make a person vulnerable to the disease. These include:

  • Inherited Gene Mutations (BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2 and ATM)
  • Family History of Pancreatic Cancer
  • Smoking
  • Obesity & Lack of Physical Activity
  • Heavy Alcohol Consumption
  • Chronic Pancreatitis
  • Diabetes
  • Non-O blood Group
  • Age & Gender

Pancreatic Cancer Prognosis​

Pancreatic cancer has a poor prognosis and the few factors influencing this include the stage of the disease, the general health of the patient, and his/her reaction to treatment. For instance, the pancreatic cancer is typically diagnosed when it has gone to an advanced stage thereby making the survival rates low as compared to most types of cancer.

Survival Rates by Stage

Stage 1 (Localized): 5-year survival rate is ~30%

Stage 2 (Locally advanced): Overall survival for 5 years ranges from 10 to 12%.

Stage III (Advanced, involvement of the contiguous structures/lymphnodes): The percentage of patients surviving alive after exactly five years ranges between 5-8%.

Stage IV (Metastasis, to distant organs): Survival is only about 1 to 3 years or 1 to 3 percent after 5 years.

Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis​

It is not easy to diagnose cancer of the pancreas since it manifests itself in the early stages through general and unspecific symptoms. A number of tests work together to identify if there is onset of cancer or not in the body of a patient.

  • CT Scan
  • MRI
  • Endoscopic Ultrasound
  • PET Scan
  • Blood Tests
  • Biopsy
  • Genetic Testing

Pancreatic Cancer Risk Factors​

Several factors can increase the risk of developing pancreatic cancer. These include:

  • Smoking
  • Obesity
  • Heavy Alcohol Use
  • Poor Diet
  • Chronic Pancreatitis
  • Diabetes
  • H. Pylori Infection
  • Inherited Mutations
  • Family History
  • Older Age
  • Gender
  • Non-O Blood Type
  • Exposure to Certain Chemicals

Pancreatic Cancer Research​: Latest Advances

Pancreatic cancer research is chiefly developed with the view of raising its early detection rate, better treatment approach, and life span of the victims. Here one can single out several directions of development:

Early Detection & Biomarkers

  • Liquid Biopsy: Blood tests with samples of defective DNA in a tumor (Galleri test by GRAIL).
  • CA 19-9 and new biomarkers: The focus of MUC1, KRAS mutations and exosomes of patients with pancreatic cancer needs to improve detection.

Targeted Therapy

  • PARP Inhibitors (e.g., Olaparib): Effective for patients with BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations.
  • KRAS-Targeted Drugs: Currently, the cancer-drug combination therapy is being developed targeting to block these mutated proteins particularly KRAS in pancreatic cancer through advanced drugs such as sotorasib.

Immunotherapy Advances

  • Checkpoint Inhibitors (e.g., Pembrolizumab): Works for patients with MSI-H or dMMR mutations.
  • Cancer Vaccines: Investigation on the new generation of mRNA vaccines for achieving the enhanced effectiveness.

Precision Medicine & Genetic Testing

  • Targeted therapy for cancer through individualised biochemical characteristics of the cancers (such as the MATCH & Know Your Tumor).

Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery

  • They make the chemotherapy drugs such as gemcitabine penetrate tumors with a lot of ease and with fewer adverse effects.

New Chemotherapy Combinations

  • FOLFIRINOX & Nab-Paclitaxel: Proven to have better survival outcomes than older form of chemotherapy.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Diagnosis

  • Artificial intelligence in radiology means that models read the CT scan and pathology slide images more accurately and at an earlier stage.

Top Doctors in India for Pancreatic-Cancer

  • Dr. Mukesh Patekar
  • Dr. Pramod Kumar Julka
  • Dr. Adarsh Chaudhary
  • Dr. Vedant Kabra

Best Hospital for Pancreatic-Cancer

Why Choose GetWellGo for Pancreatic Cancer Treatment?

GetWellGo is regarded as a leading supplier of healthcare services. We help our foreign clients choose the best treatment locations that suit their needs both financially and medically.

We offer:

  • Complete transparency
  • Fair costs.
  • 24 hour availability.
  • Medical E-visas
  • Online consultation from recognized Indian experts.
  • Assistance in selecting India's top hospitals for pancreatic cancer treatment.
  • Expert GI oncologist with a strong track record of success
  • Assistance during and after the course of treatment.
  • Language Support
  • Travel and Accommodation Services
  • Case manager assigned to every patient to provide seamless support in and out of the hospital like appointment booking
  • Local SIM Cards
  • Currency Exchange
  • Arranging Patient’s local food


 

Recent Blogs