Pancreatic Cancer 101: What You Need To Know

Symptoms

One of the first symptoms of pancreatic cancer is jaundice, which simply means your skin or eyes take on a yellow color. The jaundice is actually caused by excess bile, which would normally be taken care of by the bile duct. This organ sits near the head of the pancreas. Tumors located in this area can press down on surrounding tissues and affect their function. Some other things that may occur are belly pain or back pain, and this occurs for the same reason jaundice does. In addition, as the bile duct remains blocked, the buildup of bile can make the gallbladder and liver swell, resulting in pain.

Tumors are going to need an ample supply of nutrients to continue their out of control growth pattern. This is the reason individuals diagnosed with pancreatic cancer tend to have an unintended decrease in weight. The cancer cells absorb all the nutrients, leaving the patient malnourished and underweight.