If left untreated, pancreas cancer can progress to stage four. Treatment for pancreatic cancer is a multidisciplinary process that involves a gastroenterologist, an expert surgeon and an interventional gynecologist. The best treatment for pancreas cancer is personalized and tailored to the patient’s needs. In many cases, the symptoms of pancreas cancer are a sign of an underlying disease that needs to be treated.
Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive type of cancer. It usually only becomes apparent when it reaches a stage where treatment is no longer effective. According to the American Cancer Society, 57,000 Americans will develop pancreatic cancer in their lifetime. It is most often called adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. However, there are several types of pancreatic cancer. For example, in the early stages, the cancer may not spread much.
Although the first symptoms of pancreatic cancer may not be recognizable, some people may experience some form of yellowing of the skin or eyes. Pain in the back or mid-back may also be a sign of pancreas cancer. However, the disease can progress undetected and cause no symptoms. The most common symptom is pain in the back. The pain may be epigastric or in the right upper quadrant if biliary obstruction is present.
Despite the poor prognosis, early-stage colon cancer is curable. The five-year survival rate for early-stage colon cancer is around 90%. For pancreatic cancer, it is as low as 25-30%. The question is: why is it so hard to cure the disease? The answer to this question is multifaceted. One factor, however, may be the patient’s overall health. A supportive partner, daily exercise, and job satisfaction may all contribute to long-term survival.
Moreover, patients with advanced pancreas cancer may need further treatment. At the NIH, a patient may be treated with immunotherapy. Immunotherapy has successfully reduced tumor size in some patients with melanoma, but there is no effective standard treatment for exocrine pancreas cancer. In this regard, procurement of lymphocytes and tumors from pancreatic cancer patients will help identify the antigens present in the tumor. This will aid rational extensions of vaccines and adoptive therapies.
In contrast, non-invasive treatments can be used for this disease. However, despite the success of chemotherapy, the prognosis for pancreatic cancer is poor. Many people are not aware that their disease has spread to other organs. However, this cancer can be treated by a surgeon. Patients who have a rare condition called PALB2 mutation will benefit from immunotherapy. And if the cancer cells spread, they may even cause pancreas-related deaths.
