Pancreatic Cancer What You Need to Know About Prevention and Treatment

(Geriatrics News and Information) Pancreatic cancer the fourth leading cause of cancerrelated death in the United States is notoriously difficult to detect In addition mortality is high only 4 of patients are still alive five years after diagnosis Johns Hopkins Health Alerts reported recently on evidence that weight control and exercise may protect against pancreatic cancer KNOWN RISK FACTORSUntil recently smoking cigarettes or cigars was the only known controllable risk factor for pancreatic cancer However recent research indicates that some of the lifestyle measures proven to reduce the risk of heart disease diabetes and cancers of the breast prostate colon and rectum may also help prevent pancreatic cancer These measures are especially important for people with a family history of pancreatic cancer SYMPTOMS OF CANCER OF THE PANCREASSymptoms of pancreatic cancer dont usually appear until the tumor obstructs nearby bile ducts leading to jaundice or grows large enough to cause abdominal pressure or pain Other symptoms of pancreatic cancer can include back pain nausea loss of appetite weight loss and weakness Because the pancreas is located deep within the abdomen tumors cannot usually be palpated felt upon examination Furthermore there are no screening tests to detect pancreatic cancer in its early stages Thus pancreatic cancer is generally detected only after symptoms develop and cancer cells have metastasized spread to other parts of the body Occasionally a tumor that develops near the common bile duct causes jaundice and this allows early diagnosis However 90 of all pancreatic cancers are not diagnosed until the tumor has spread beyond the pancreas Thus even with surgery to remove the tumor the prognosis is not good so taking steps to prevent cancer of the pancreas is crucialSYMPTOMS OF PANCREATIC CANCERRisk factors for developing pancreatic cancer include smoking a two to threefold increase age more than 80 of new cases develop between the ages of 60 and 80 race pancreatic cancer is more common in blacks than in whites gender pancreatic cancer is more common in men family history having more than one close relative with pancreatic cancer increases the risk 18fold chronic pancreatitis inflammation of the pancreas diabetes and cirrhosis of the liver are also associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer as is a diet high in meats and fried foodsRESEARCH ON THE CAUSES OF PANCREATIC CANCERResearchers recently examined data from two large population studies the Health Professionals FollowUp Study and the Nurses Health Study to learn what physical characteristics and lifestyle factors might influence the development of pancreatic cancer The studies followed 163689 men and women for 10 to 20 years During that time 350 participants were diagnosed with pancreatic cancerHOW TO MODIFY YOUR RISK FACTORS Two new modifiable risk factors emerged excess weight and physical inactivity The likelihood of developing pancreatic cancer was 72 higher in participants who were obese body mass index or BMI of 30 or higher compared with those who were leaner BMI of less than 23 Moderate exercise walking or hiking for about 15 hours per week was associated with a 50 reduction in pancreatic cancer risk This benefit which was noted only in those who were overweight did not require vigorous activity such as running Its important to note that these studies are retrospective based on the recollections of participants and population based participants were not randomized to different groups Therefore they cannot prove a causeandeffect relationship However since these studies involved large numbers of people and longterm followup the associations are credible and strongly suggest that weight control and exercise may protect against yet another deadly illness For more Alerts and Special Reports on Digestive Disorders please visit the Digestive Disorders Topic pageJohns Hopkins Digestive Disorders Health Alerts httpwwwjohnshopkinshealthalertscomalertsindexdigestivehealth191htmlFor more of the latest research on digestive disorders please visit the Digestive Disorders White Paper information page Johns Hopkins Digestive Disorders White Paper httpwwwjohnshopkinshealthalertscomwhitepapersdigestivehealthwpdigital08landinghtmlstwebsPRW080307001...