| Pancreatic cancer is a relatively rare
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| | often in people over the age of 45.
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| disorder, accounting for about 3 in 100
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| | The Facts on Pancreatic Cancer
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| cases of all cancer in the US. However,
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| | About one in 79 people will develop
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| the disease, which mainly affects people
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| | pancreatic cancer (cancer of the
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| over 50, is becoming more common in the
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| | pancreas) over their lifetime. In North
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| US as life expectancy increases.
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| | America in 2007, pancreatic cancer was
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| Pancreatic cancer occurs almost twice as
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| | responsible for the fourth highest number
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| frequently in men as in women and the
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| | of deaths among cancer deaths. The risk
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| disease is slightly more common in
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| | of developing pancreatic cancer is about
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| African-Americans and Polynesians.
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| | the same for both men and women.
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| The pancreas is a spongy, tube-shaped
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| | Pancreatic cancer is sometimes called a
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| organ about 6 inches long. It is located
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| | silent disease because it is difficult to
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| in the back of the abdomen, behind the
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| | detect and symptoms do not usually appear
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| stomach. The head of the pancreas is on
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| | until the cancer has grown for quite some
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| the right side of the abdomen. It is
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| | time.
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| connected to the duodenum, the upper end
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| | This cancer is difficult to diagnose
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| of the small intestine. The narrow end of
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| | because there are no symptoms in the
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| the pancreas, called the tail, extends to
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| | early stages and because , when symptoms
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| the left side of the body.
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| | appear, they match other diseases.
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| The pancreas is a gland about five inches
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| | Depending on the stage and location of
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| long located behind the stomach. It is
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| | the cancer, surgery, chemotherapy and/or
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| surrounded by the liver, gallbladder, and
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| | radiation therapy may be used. If the
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| small intestine. The pancreas has two
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| | cancer has not spread beyond the
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| main functions. One is to produce
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| | pancreas, therapy can be successful, but,
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| digestive fluids needed to neutralize
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| | as stated earlier, it's very unlikely to
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| stomach acids and break down food. The
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| | find pancreatic cancer in the early
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| second is to produce hormones, such as
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| | stages. In later stages, often the
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| insulin, that are needed to metabolize
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| | therapy concentrates on the comfort of
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| sugar. Pancreatic cancer occurs when
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| | the patient.
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| abnormal (cancerous) cells grow in the
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| | Complete resection is the only effective
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| tissues of the pancreas.
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| | treatment of pancreatic ductal carcinoma.
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| Pancreatic cancer is the seventh leading
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| | Regrettably, such curative operations are
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| cause of cancer in the U.S., and the
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| | possible in less than 15 percent of
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| fourth leading cause of cancer deaths.
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| | patients and are limited, for all
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| The American Cancer Society estimated
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| | practical purposes, to those individuals
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| that 33,730 new cases of pancreatic
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| | with tumors in the pancreatic head that
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| cancer would have been reported in the
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| | have caused jaundice leading to an
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| U.S. in 2006. Although the rates of
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| | earlier diagnosis. Tumor spread to other
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| pancreatic cancer have declined in men
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| | sites in the abdomen such as the lining
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| over the past 20 years, the rates in
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| | of the abdominal cavity ("peritoneum"),
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| women have remained constant.
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| | liver, or to the lungs is a
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| Nonetheless, pancreatic cancer most
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| | contraindication to major surgery.
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| commonly affects males, occurring most
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