Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases

Pancreatic cancer

Cancer that develop within pancreas fall into two types they are: cancer of endocrine pancreas and cancer of exocrine pancreas. Islets of Langerhans cancer grow slowly compared to exocrine cancer. It release hormones in the blood stream and further characteristic by hormone they produce (insulin, glucagon,gastric).The subtypes include: Squamous,Pancreatic progenitor,Aberrantly differentiated endocrine exocrine,Immunogenic. Symptoms of exocrine pancreatic cancer include:jaundice,dark urine,itchy skin,light-colored stools,pain in the abdomen or the back. Pancreatic cancer is diagonised by four different stages they are :

Stage 0: Cancer is found only in the lining of the pancreatic ducts. it also is called carcinoma in situ

Stage I: Cancer has formed only in the pancreas.

Stage II: Cancer may have spread or advanced to nearby tissue and organs and lymph nodes near the pancreas.

Stage III: Cancer has spread or progressed to the major blood vessels near the pancreas and may have spread to nearby lymph nodes.

Stage IV: Cancer can be of any size and has spread to reserved organs, such as the liver, lung, and peritoneal cavity. It may also spread to organs and tissues near the pancreas or to lymph nodes. It is also called as end stage of pancreas