Doctors
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About the condition
Pancreatic cancer is a cancer that begins in the tissues of pancreas. The two types of pancreatic cancer are adenocarcinoma (cancer that forms in the pancreas ducts) and endocrine cancer (cancer that forms in the hormone-producing cells).
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Causes of the condition
The cancer occurs when cells in the pancreas develop genetic mutations. These mutations cause cells to grow uncontrollably and to continue living after normal cells would die. These accumulations of cells can form a tumor.
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Signs & Symptoms
Signs and symptoms often do not occur until the disease is advanced.
- Upper abdominal pain that may radiate to your back
- Yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes (jaundice)
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
- Depression
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Diagnosis and Treatment Options
Test and diagnosis
No standard screening exists for pancreatic cancer.
- Ultrasound
- Computerized tomography (CT) scan
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)
- Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)
- Percutanenous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC)
- Biopsy
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