Chemotherapy is usually the first recommended treatment in shrinking and preventing the growth of pancreatic cancer. Chemotherapy may be accompanied by unpleasant side effects such as nausea, vomiting, hair loss and extreme fatigue. These side effects can affect the patient’s everyday life, making it hard for them to manage their normal day to day activities. Therefore, other effective treatment options should be considered based on the best interest of the patient. Total pancreatectomy with islet cell transplantation can be utilized as a treatment option for pancreatic cancer but may require the patient to take lifelong medication due to other ancillary factors.
The pancreas is in the gastrointestinal tract of the body and contains endocrine
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During chemotherapy, doctors use drugs to target the specific cells causing cancer (4). Chemotherapy may keep cancer cells from spreading to other parts of the body, slow the growth of cancer or even cure it; however, the treatment is not always a guarantee (4). Chemotherapy is targeted at killing the fast-growing cancer cells, but these drugs can also kill or damage the growth of the bodies healthy cells (4). This type of treatment can be administered in many ways. Some common ways of administration include oral, muscle injections, intrathecal, intraperitoneal, intra-arterial, topical, and intravenous (4). The side effects associated with chemotherapy can make everyday activities a challenge. The side effects usually depend on the type of drugs, dose of drugs given, and how long the treatment lasts (4). The most common side effects include nausea, vomiting, hair loss and extreme fatigue. More severe side effects can include anemia, delirium, and nerve problems. During treatment, changes in sexual function or even infertility in both men and women may also be experienced. The side effects can either be short term or long term. Along with all the other associated side effects, chemotherapy can also cause damage to the cells in the heart, liver, lungs, bladder, and kidneys (4). Caution must be taken when utilizing this treatment because it is unknown what side effects may be …show more content…
The pancreas would then be removed and sent to an approved facility for the islet cells to be harvested (1)(4). Depending on the condition of the pancreas, between 600,000 and 800,000 islet cells could be harvested from the pancreas (1). Once the islet cells are harvested and returned for transplantation, the cells would be inserted back into the patient. This procedure would be performed by a radiologist who would use x rays and ultrasound to guide the islet cells, with a catheter, through the portal vein of the liver (2). “The liver is the preferred site because of easy vascular access. (1).” Once the cells are inserted into the liver, the islet cells would begin to produce insulin within two to three days (1). The liver would now have adopted an additional function and would become the new insulin-producing organ in the
6. Claiborn K, Stoffers D. Toward a cell-based cure for diabetes: advances in production and transplant of beta cells. The Mount Sinai Journal Of Medicine, New York [serial online]. August 2008;75(4):362-371. Available from: MEDLINE with Full Text, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 19, 2013.
The article, “Pancreas Transplant: A Cure for Diabetes?” written by Eli A. Friedman, M.D., explores the possibility of a cure for type 1 diabetes and the implications involving this experimental procedure. The article discusses current procedures and treatments that are commonly used to control type 1 diabetes and highlights provisional treatments that evolved into pancreatic transplant surgery.
Pancreatic cancer has become a taboo topic that many people are afraid to speak out about. It looms over families like a dark cloud, and manages to destroy people in a scarily short amount of time. Pancreatic cancer is the fourth most dangerous cancer in the United States, and the more we learn about it, the less deadly it becomes. This cancer begins in the pancreas, a gland behind the stomach, that aides in digestion and disperses hormones critical to keep our body functioning. While many people have a mild understanding of pancreatic cancer, most do not realize that “pancreatic cancer” is an umbrella term for many different types of cancerous tumors.
The pancreas is a large glandular organ that is located behind the stomach. The main functions of the pancreas is to release the hormones insulin and glucagon into the bloodstream and secrete powerful digestive enzymes which enter the small intestine to help the digestion of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Pancreatitis is a rare digestive disorder that occurs due to the inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas gets damaged because the body is unable to secrete enough digestive enzymes to break down foods.
The pancreas is an elongated and flattened gland located within the abdomen. Not only is it a vital part of the digestive system, but it is also a key controller of blood sugar levels. (The Pancreas). The pancreas has been divided into four regions which are the head, neck, body, and tail. Being the widest part of the pancreas, the head is twenty-three millimeters. The part of the head that hooks towards the back of the abdomen is the uncinate (Chronic Pancreatitis Imaging). Between the head and body of the pancreas is the neck, which is about nineteen millimeters. The body of the pancreas is twenty millimeters, between the neck and the tail. The tail is the smallest part of the pancreas, measuring at only fifteen millimeters. (Parts of the Pancreas). The length of the pancreas in total ranges from four point seven to seven point one inches. The pancreas also weighs from seventy to one-hundred grams (How does the Pancreas Work?).
Successful pancreas transplantation can improve the quality of life of people with diabetes, primarily by eliminating the need for exogenous insulin, frequent daily blood glucose measurements and many of the dietary restrictions imposed by the disorder. Pts who undergo pancreas transplantation require immunosuppression to prevent rejection of the graft and potential recurrence of the autoimmune process that might again destroy pancreatic islet cells.
Islet transplantation is a rapidly evolving technology with advantages and disadvantages, that’s why it should be performed only within the setting of controlled research studies.
middle of paper ... ... s to adenylate cyclase. The resultant increases in cAMP and PKA reverse all of the effects described above that insulin has on liver. The increases also lead to a marked elevation of circulating glucose, with the glucose being derived from liver gluconeogenesis and liver glycogenolysis. Somatostatin, secreted by d cells of the pancreas, is a 14--amino acid peptide, identical to somatostatin secreted by the hypothalamus.
...effects that can come with chemotherapy such as nausea, vomiting, hair loss, fatigue, mouth sores, and more. Radiation therapy is pretty bad but not as painful with side effects. Side effects for radiation therapy are coughing, fever, fullness of chest, soreness and scaring. Many times surgery is not an option but when is it is one of the best options due to the fact there are less side effects and no strenuous treatment. One of the reasons cancer is such a bad thing is because the treatment is not good but research is taking place and working to get more effective.
Most side effects go away after a while, but not always. Some common side effects are nausea, loss of appetite, headaches, dry mouth, dizziness, moodiness, trouble sleeping, and tics. If you change the times of when you take your medicine or what you eat with it then that can cause more side effects. The medication should be taken with food and you should eat throughout the day and drink plenty of fluids. Depending upon your side effects and the results from your medication, the doctor might change
Cancer patients often wonder if going through treatments like chemotherapy and radiation are worth the risk of the side effects, in addition to the cancerous side effects. They feel that they can’t enjoy or relax in what a short amount of time they have left because they are bedridden from the nausea and pain that treatments put them through. Patients tell their loved ones to just let them die so long as they don’t have to go through any more pain. Those who are too old, are unable to recover from the effects, or are just too far in the grips of cancer, should refuse the more harsh treatments like chemo and radiation. On the positive side, refusing treatments after a certain point can save their families from the stress and cost of hospital bills. If caught early enough, patients can opt for safer and easier routes to getting rid of cancer like surgery or by doing a stem cell transplant.
The topic that I will be focusing on for this assignment is on the screening of lung cancer, since this is one of the most controversial debates all across the world. The significance of this topic is that when it comes to lung cancer screening, many individuals may or may not abide by it. There are many reasons to why individuals may not want to have their screening done for lung cancer. The top two reasons are that the screening itself is expensive and secondly, the results that they get from the screening may not be accurate. Imagine, if the results came up as a positive, for the ones who really do not have lung cancer, the amount of pain, time and money that they have put into the curing of lung cancer, is painful. At the same, time it is not fair for them to go through this much, when they actually do not have lung cancer. In this paper, I will discuss how lung cancer screening is a controversial issue and why it impacts us as a society and what problems that the family members, friends and medical doctors have to face if something does goes wrong.. Here is a portion of my essay that will appear on the final copy of my essay.
The pancreas, in addition to its digestive process has two important hormones, Insulin and Glucagon which are important for the maintenance of blood glucose level at a narrow range. Not only glucose, but also they are important for protein and lipid metabolism. Glucagon is secreted by the alpha cells of the islet of Langerhans and Insulin is secreted by the beta cells of Langerhans. Both are secreted to portal vein. (8)
Chemotherapy is known to get people sick easier by destroying the entire immune system but it can get rid of cancerous cells
The pancreas is one of the essential organs in the human body and belongs in the Digestive system. Out of all the internal organs, the pancreas is unique because the pancreas plays a role in both the endocrine gland and the exocrine gland. This means that the pancreas is a dual function gland in which is the reason why the pancreas is such a vital part of the digestive system. This research paper will talk about the anatomy, physiology, and the important functions the pancreas play to maintain homeostasis.