What is Pancreatic Cancer?
The pancreas secretes enzymes that aid digestion and hormones that help regulate the metabolism of sugars.
Symptoms:
- Significant weight loss: Characteristic feature of pancreatic cancer
- Midepigastric pain: Common symptom of pancreatic cancer, sometimes with radiation of the pain to the midback or lower-back region
- Often, unrelenting pain: Nighttime pain often a predominant complaint
- Onset of diabetes mellitus within the previous year
- Painless obstructive jaundice: Most characteristic sign of cancer of head of the pancreas
- Pruritus: Often the patient's most distressing symptom
- Depression
- Migratory thrombophlebitis (ie, Trousseau sign) and venous thrombosis: May be the first presentation
