The pancreas is a gland that is located in the
upper abdomen behind the stomach just in front of the spine. It is divided into
three main parts, consisting of a head, body and tail, which weighs between
60-140 grams, and measures about 15 cm x 4 cm. Like many of the bodies other
organs it is also prone to being infected by cancer; however, unlike certain
other cancers it is extremely difficult to detect.
Causes of Pancreatic Cancer
Although it is impossible to tell exactly what
causes pancreatic cancer, there are some important principles that cancer
biology shows, together with wide based population-studies that do help doctors
understand as to why it may develop. Pancreatic cancer is caused by damage to
the DNA mutations, which may be hereditary, acquired as one matures, or caused
by an individuals lifestyle.
Each person has duplicate genes, "that is to
say two copies." One copy is inherited from the mother, and the other copy
from the father. In the case of an inherited disease, this is usually from
either the mother or the father, where one mutant copy associated with cancer
is inherited, together with one normal copy.
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