Pancreatic Cancer Research Papers

Megan Gogel

Mrs. Pund

English 9

March 27, 2017

Word Count:

Pancreatic Cancer:

A Complex Disease In 2000, there were 28,300 new cases of pancreatic cancer and 28,000 deaths, making the mortality rate for pancreatic cancer at a high of 99%. Over the years, researchers have found more about the pancreatic tumor to have to mortality rate to go down. Between 2000 and 2009, the mortality went down by sixteen percent. (Panno) Pancreatic cancer can be rare, hard to treat, and get diagnosed before too late; the low chances of survival make pancreatic cancer the deadliest of all of the cancers. For cancer deaths, pancreatic cancer is ranked at the fourth highest cause of deaths. In 2009, the mortality rate for pancreatic cancer decreased sixteen

As people age, their chance for getting pancreatic cancer increases and most people over the age of 60 develop pancreatic cancer. More men than women develop pancreatic cancer and some think it is associated with more men smoking than women. Smoking can become major risk factor for pancreatic cancer and could cause 20-30% of exocrine cancer cases. Research shows that when someone smokes, their chances increase and they are two times more likely to to get pancreatic cancer compared to people who have never smoked. Someone’s family history can also become a risk factor by if their parent, sibling or child had pancreatic cancer. This risk factor increases a person’s risk by two to three times and the number increases by the more family members diagnosed. (An Overview) African-Americans have a 50% increased risk of developing cancer compared other ethnicities. A person’s diet and obesity can become a risk factor by increasing their chance by twenty percent. (Panno) If a diet includes many red and processed meats, some doctors think it will increase people’s risk more than if someone eats fruits and vegetables. Obese people have an increased risk compared to healthy weight people by if the person becomes obese during early adulthood and excessive abdominal fat. (An

One common symptom jaundice, the darkening of skin and the yellowing of the whites of eyes, starts from the tumor blocking the common duct in the pancreas and causing a buildup of bilirubin, substance in liver, in blood and tissues.(An Overview, Panno) Even though jaundice could become a symptom of pancreatic cancer, at times jaundice can be caused by liver diseases such as gallstones and hepatitis. (Panno) Another symptom could be abdominal pain by the tumor pushing the organs around the pancreas. Pain can also start from the tumor invading nearby nerves and the tumor blocking the digestive tract. When the tumor blocks the digestive tract, some symptom digestive problems such as poor appetite, indigestion, nausea, and vomiting. This symptom can also become caused by change on the amount of pancreatic enzymes produced. Some patients of pancreatic cancer also notice a change in their weight. The cancer causing the body to burn more calories than normal, break down different muscles, and decrease the person’s appetite causes this symptom to happen. The patient may also notice a change of appetite or desire for different foods. (An