Once pancreatic cancer is diagnosed by an oncologist after several diagnoses, the treatment is provided based on the stage of cancer. Cancer gets challenging to cure when it is at its advanced stages. There are four stages of pancreatic cancer-

Stage 1 - The tumour is restricted only to the pancreas. There are no symptoms at this stage. However, if the cancer is diagnosed at this stage, it can be treated very easily.

Stage 2 - At this stage, pancreatic cancer has started to spread to nearby lymph nodes. The infection has not reached the blood vessels and tissues at this stage. The symptoms are not evident at this stage either and are rarely diagnosed, making treatment challenging. In some rare cases, there may be a few faint symptoms, such as:

Change in urine colour

Sudden weight loss

Tiredness

Reduced appetite

Jaundice - the skin and white of eyes turn yellow

Pain and swelling in the upper abdomen

Once cancer is diagnosed, it is treated by a combination of the following methods to eliminate the tumour or to prevent its invasion of healthy parts of the patient’s body.

Chemotherapy

Radiation Therapy

Surgery

Targeted drug therapies

The survival rate of Stage 2 pancreatic cancer patients is often cited around 30% at 5 years. This figure may vary depending on individual health conditions, response to treatment, and overall care.

Stage 3 - At this stage, cancer has started spreading to nearby blood vessels, lymph nodes and tissues. The infection is still restricted to other organs. The symptoms at this stage are still faint and very difficult to define, which is why pancreatic cancer is called a silent cancer. Some of the symptoms at this stage are:

Reduced appetite

Sudden loss of weight

Tiredness

Constant and sharp back pain

Depression

Swelling, tenderness and pain in the upper abdomen

At this stage, cancer gets difficult to cure. Once diagnosed at this stage, the treatment can prevent the disease from spreading to healthy parts of the body. The treatment options at this stage are-

A Whipple procedure (Surgery to remove the infected part of the pancreas)

Anti-cancer drugs

Radiation therapy

The cancer is more likely to recur despite rigorous treatment. Only 3% to 12% of patients get a five-year extended life. This is due to the rapid growth of cells that spreads beyond the infected area to smaller undetectable places even during the process of eradication.

Stage 4 - It is the last and final stage of pancreatic cancer. The cancer is very severe at this stage and symptoms become evident. At this stage, the cancer has metastasised to nearby organs and gradually moves to the bones and the brain, making treatment very difficult. Some of the symptoms at this stage are:

Severe back pain

Depression

Sudden loss of weight

Yellowing of skin and white of eyes (jaundice)

Loss of appetite

Tiredness

Pain and swelling in the upper abdomen

Unfortunately, most pancreatic cancer patients are diagnosed at the last stage of cancer, when there is no cure. Doctors work towards easing discomfort and pain. The few treatments that can stop the growth of cancer cells are:

Chemotherapy

Gastric bypass surgery

Bile duct bypass surgery

Bile duct stent

Palliative pain treatments/ Palliative care

The five-year extended survival rate at this stage is confined to only 3%.

Pancreatic Cancer