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.
As an individual gets older, the normal cell that
was inherited may become damaged somewhere along the way, resulting in two bad
gene cell copies existing within the pancreas which in turn may grow into
cancer at a later date. However, this does not mean that everyone may get
cancer, only that a more likely hood may exist.
The lifestyle of an individual may also have some
bearing on who gets pancreatic cancer, with modern-day vices such as smoking,
heavy-drinking, and bad eating causing obesity, all play their part. Also
chance can play a part, where a mistake is made during the division of a cell,
when one of the millions of cells that exist in the human-body divides, but
does not copy the gene correctly. The human bodies mechanism is near 100% good,
however it is not perfect.
Treatments For Pancreatic Cancer
Chemotherapy - Commonly used to treat pancreatic cancer with
the drug Gemcitabine, either on its own, or combined with Fluorouracil,
Cisplatin, or the more targeted drug Erlotinib.
Radiation Therapy - Used over a
period of 5-6 weeks either on its own, or together with chemotherapy, with the
objective of shrinking the tumor.
Surgery - The are various forms of surgery that exist for
pancreatic cancer.
1. Whipple Surgery (pancreaticoduodenectomy) is used
when the tumor is located near to, or within the head of the pancreas, and
consists of the removal of the tumor together with portions of the bile duct
and stomach.
2. Distal Pancreatectomy is used when the tumor is
located in the tail of the pancreas, and consists of the removal of the tail,
body, and the spleen.
3. Central Pancreatectomy, or Total Pancreatectomy
are used when either the tumor is multi-focal (in more than one location), or
affecting the whole of the pancreas, usually when cystic neoplasms or
neuroendocrine tumors exist.
Depending on the cancer staging at diagnosis, a
combination of treatments may be offered; however, usually they have more
down-side potential to offer a patient than any benefit, and are used really as
palliative care which tries to minimize the progression of the cancer
and relieve some of the symptoms. This is due to pancreatic cancer usually
being diagnosed while in a late stage of is metastasis.
Philip Albert Edmonds-Hunt was born in the County
of Oxfordshire in the United Kingdom. A well travelled man who today lives in
Mexico with his family. He works as a Freelance Writer, Researcher and English
Teacher, spending much of his time researching and writing about cancer with
the hope that his writings may benefit other cancer sufferers. If you feel that
you have benefited from reading one of his articles; please recommend them to
other cancer sufferers who may also benefit. If you are interested in reading
more about cancer, check out: http://www.cancercry.com
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