Question 1

Can pancreatic cancer be prevented?

Accepted Answer

Unfortunately, most pancreatic cancer cannot be prevented, but you can reduce your risk by maintaining a healthy weight, stopping smoking and limiting your alcohol intake. Other risk factors include chronic pancreatitis and family history. Occasionally, precancerous lesions can be identified and, if removed early, can prevent pancreatic cancer from developing.

Question 2

Is pancreatic cancer a genetic disease?

Accepted Answer

Pancreatic cancer can be genetic, but the vast majority of pancreatic cancer is irregular. Many genes play a role in the growth of pancreatic cancer. The four major driver genes include KRAS, P53, P16 and SMAD4. If you have a strong family history of pancreatic cancer, you should contact a genetic counselling and screening program. Familial pancreatic cancer is defined as having two or more first-degree relatives with pancreatic cancer.

Question 3

What are the chances of a pancreatic cyst becoming cancerous?

Accepted Answer

Pancreatic cysts are very common, and most are not cancerous. But some may be cancerous or precancerous. There are several different types of pancreatic cysts, ranging from benign to malignant, which are declared after a series of diagnosis.

Question 4

Can I live without a pancreas?

Accepted Answer

Yes, living without a pancreas is possible. However, the person becomes diabetic, which means regular insulin (to manage blood glucose) and enzyme pills (to digest food) will be necessary.

Question 5

How is pancreatic cancer treated?

Accepted Answer

The treatment of pancreatic cancer depends on several factors, including the stage of the disease (how far it has advanced). The main treatment options include:

Surgery

Chemotherapy

Radiation

Question 6

Pancreatic cancer surgery

Accepted Answer

Depending on the diagnosis, the consulting doctor may recommend Whipple surgery, which involves removing the head, or a right-hand portion, of the pancreas, as well as parts of the small intestine, gallbladder, bile duct, and sometimes a portion of the stomach. Other types of surgery for pancreatic cancer include distal pancreatectomy (removal of the "tail" of the pancreas, as well as the spleen) and total pancreatectomy (removal of the entire pancreas and spleen). If cancer has spread too far to be removed, the doctor may suggest palliative interventions, which cannot cure the disease but help relieve symptoms.

Question 7

Chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer

Accepted Answer

Pancreatic cancer can also be treated with chemotherapy - using drugs that kill cancerous cells. Chemotherapy can be given before and after surgery or when surgery isn't possible. It is sometimes used in conjunction with radiation, which uses high-energy x-rays to kill cancer cells. Likewise, the patient may receive radiation before and after surgery, with or without chemotherapy, or to ease symptoms in case the disease has reached advanced stages. Our healthcare professionals can recommend the treatment that's right for the patient.

Question 8

What are the signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer?

Accepted Answer

Pancreatic cancer doesn’t show any signs or symptoms during the early stages. However, by the time you start noticing the symptoms, the tumours have already grown quite large and the cancer has infected the tissues surrounding the pancreas. If you observe one or more than one of these signs, it doesn’t mean that the patient or you have pancreatic cancer. These symptoms can also be caused by other conditions, so it’s best to consult a doctor.

Look out for these signs:

Jaundice or jaundice-related symptoms

Consistent belly or backache

Sudden weight loss and poor appetite

Nausea and vomiting

Liver or Gallbladder inflammation

Diabetes

Blood clots

Question 9

Is there a cure for pancreatic cancer?

Accepted Answer

There is no absolute cure for cancer, but surgery is a way to treat this illness. But, by the time it’s diagnosed, the cancer has already reached advanced stages and surgery is not advisable. If cancer has spread to the surrounding tissues and major organs, surgical removal of tumours is not suggested. Many factors determine pancreatic cancer treatment, including the patient’s age, overall health, and personal preferences. It’s quite difficult to treat pancreatic cancer, at least by surgery.

Question 10

How long can chemotherapy prolong the patient’s life?

Accepted Answer

In the case of most cancers for which palliative chemotherapy is used, the extended lifespan falls between three to twelve months. The better the patient’s body responds to the treatment, the longer they’re expected to live. The Median Duration of Response tells how long the cancer will take to respond to standard chemo treatment before it starts growing again.

Question 11

Is there a cure for stage 1 pancreatic cancer?

Accepted Answer

If cancer is detected during the early stages, then it can be treated with surgery. Surgical extraction of tumours can increase the chances of a cure. However, it’s very difficult to detect pancreatic cancer during the early stages. There is a reason this cancer is called the silent killer, and that’s because it spreads undetected. By the time the symptoms appear, and the patient is diagnosed, it’s usually too late for surgery. Since the warning signs (in the early stages) resemble other illnesses, people often don’t take them seriously.

Question 12

How much sleep is required for a chemo patient?

Accepted Answer

A patient going through chemotherapy will require seven to nine hours of sleep. During the chemo treatment, a patient will feel sleepy, at least more than normal. This is because the body needs to repair itself. However, sometimes patients are unable to sleep due to the side effects of the chemo treatment. If the patient has trouble falling asleep, here are some tips:

Maintaining a routine

Avoiding oversleeping

Keeping the sleeping area quiet and cool

Eating the last meal two hours before bedtime

Don’t have any caffeine after lunch

Don’t drink any alcohol before bedtime

Question 13

Can stage 4 pancreatic cancer go undiagnosed?

Accepted Answer

Every cancer case is different, but cancer is usually diagnosed by stages 2 or 3. Stage 4 is advanced cancer, and it’s difficult for it to go undiagnosed. Some patients may have symptoms in stage 2, while some may show signs in stage 4. Patients rarely reach stage 4 with insignificant or no cancer symptoms.

All you need to know about Pancreatic Cancer