Pancreatic cancer begins in the tissues of your pancreas — an organ in your abdomen that lies behind the lower part of your stomach. The harsh reality of pancreatic cancer is that it can be difficult to treat in the advanced stages because symptoms do not usually not appear until the cancerous cells have spread to other organs. Complicating the effort to detect the virus further is cancer of the pancreas can cause other “non-specific” symptoms.
“It may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and supportive care,” says the health body.
As the health body explains, the course of treatment will depend on if the cancer can be removed or not.
“If pancreatic cancer is found early and it has not spread, you may be able to have surgery to remove it,” it adds.
Am I at risk?
Doctors don’t know what causes most pancreatic cancers but there are some factors that may increase your risk of developing it.
Research has shown that exposure to second hand smoke doesn’t increase your risk of pancreatic cancer, however.
Some research has also suggested a possible link between red or processed meat and pancreatic cancer.
A study showed that pancreatic cancer risk was higher in men who ate more red meat a day compared to those who ate no red meat.
The same study also showed that both men and women who eat more processed meat have a higher risk of pancreatic cancer.
