Pancreatic Cancer Tumors
Pancreatic cancer tumors affect over 30,000 people every year in the United States. More than 29,000 sufferers die within 5 to 12 months of diagnosis. It is the fourth leading reason for all cancer deaths. Though the exact cause of pancreatic cancer is unknown, cancer occurs when the DNA in cells mutates. The cells divide and form tumors. The most common type of pancreatic cancer is adenocarcinoma. Over 90 percent of all growths and cancerous tumors on the pancreas are adenocarcinomas, which grow on the surface of the pancreas.
Other types of glucagonomas (50-80 percent are malignant), GNRHomas (60%) somatostatinomas (70%), VIPomas (40-70%), insulinomas (<10%), PPomas (>60%), gastrinomas (60-90%), and ACTHomas (>95%). These tumor types are functional tumors, which means they secrete the hormones for which they are named. For example, insulinomas secrete insulin. The symptoms of hormone over-secretion can sometimes be as fatal as the cancer itself.
Another type of growth with the potential to become cancerous is the cystic pancreas tumor, or the cystadenoma. Still, only around half of these growths become malignant. They are also more treatable than the other types.
Doctors first try to treat pancreatic cancer tumors with surgery. The main type used is the Whipple procedure. In it, the top of the pancreas, the gallbladder, and parts of the stomach and intestines near the pancreas are removed. It is an extremely difficult operation to perform, even for the best of surgeons. At best, 2 to 5 percent of people die from the operation's complications. And up to half of those who under go the procedure experience complications, which can include bleeding and leaking around the suture site. However, only about 20 percent of pancreatic cancer tumors are operable at the time of diagnosis. The cancer becomes inoperable when it metastasizes, or spreads, to locations outside of the pancreas and its nearby lymph nodes. The usual first location the cancer spreads to is the liver and its lymph nodes. Doctors cannot remove the organ, and even if they did, the cancer has probably already spread to other areas. Pancreatic cancer can also spread to the celiac plexus. It is a network of nerves about the aorta as it enters the diaphragm. The tumors here cause back pain. Blood vessels are also viable targets. The superior mesenteric vessels and the portal vein carry blood to and from the intestines and liver. They can also provide the pancreas with blood. Due to their proximity to the pancreas, the tumors may spread to them. A structure called the Ligament of Treitz, also near the pancreas, is also affected. When surgery is no longer an option, and often times after surgery, treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy are used. But they have little effect on the cancer, serving mainly to control the cancer's symptoms. Formerly the most common chemo drug was 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Survival rate among those who took it reached 6 to 8 months. Now, gemcitabine, or Gemzar, is the preferred drug. It is usually paired with other chemotherapy drugs. The pill form of 5-FU (Xeloda) is one such drug. People taking it and Gemzar lived at least a year. Even when caught early, pancreatic cancer tumors are very dangerous. They respond poorly to treatment and grow quickly. Currently, your best chance of surviving them is to prevent them.
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