One of the deadliest types of cancer…

One of the deadliest types of cancer. General Surgery and Gastroenterology Surgery Specialist Assoc. Dr. Ufuk Arslan gave important information about the subject.

The pancreas is an organ located at the back of our abdomen, with an average length of 15 cm, completely covered by the duodenum, stomach and large intestine. Although it has many important tasks, it plays an important role in the digestion of food and in keeping blood sugar in balance.Although it develops from every part of the organ, it most often develops from the head region. Again, they originate from the most frequently secreting cells and are called adenocarcinomas.

PANCREAS CANCERS RISK FACTORS

Although the cause of the disease is unknown, it is more common in smokers and obese individuals. In almost 30% of patients, the cause of pancreatic cancer is smoking. Pancreatic cancer associated with adult diabetes is controversial. In a very small number of patients, pancreatic cancer may develop by heredity. Pancreatic cancer is more common in men than women, and the risk increases with age. The average age is 63 for men and 67 for women.

SYMPTOMS OF PANCREAS CANCERS

It may occur with psychological disorders such as weight loss, abdominal pain, jaundice, loss of appetite, nausea-vomiting, weakness, fatigue, diarrhea, indigestion, back pain, glazing paste-colored stools, pallor, sudden onset diabetes without a family history, and depression. . The patient loses weight as a result of insufficient food intake along with bloating, indigestion and loss of appetite.

Jaundice is the most common and earliest symptom. It initially appears in the eyes, then turns yellow on the skin, followed by a darkening of the urine color to ‘tea-colored urine’, and finally resulting in a light coloration of feces, which is defined as ‘glassmaker’s paste’. The cause of jaundice is the inhibition of the excretion of bilirubin, which is made in the liver, as a result of obstruction of the biliary tract by pancreatic cancer.

TREATMENT IN PANCREATIC CANCERS

The stage of the pancreatic tumor, its relationship with neighboring organs, especially whether it has spread to adjacent vessels and/or distant organs, are revealed and the chance of surgical removal is evaluated. Surgery cannot be performed in advanced stage tumors. Along with the chemotherapy to be applied to these patients, some interventions can be applied to improve the comfort of life by correcting the existing jaundice, providing nutritional support and reducing pain. For this purpose, placing a tube (stent) that provides passage to the biliary tract with endoscopy from the mouth through the stomach, outflowing of bile (PTC) with a catheter inserted from the abdominal skin to the intrahepatic biliary tract with the help of a needle, advanced pain management techniques,

SURGICAL TREATMENT OF PANCREAS CANCER

‘Whipple’ surgery is the most effective and only treatment option in early stage or cancers without vascular involvement. With the Whipple surgery, the head of the pancreas, duodenum, gallbladder, part of the biliary tract outside the liver and regional lymph nodes are removed and new connections are made from the small intestine. When one or more of the complaints such as weight loss, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, jaundice, nausea, should be consulted without losing time.