What to do if pancreatic cancer causes ascites

From the beginning of the disease, adverse symptoms begin to accompany pancreatic cancer patients, from early upper abdominal pain, jaundice, anorexia, fatigue, weight loss to late ascites. These symptoms indicate the degree of disease progression. So what is pancreatic cancer ascites?

Under normal circumstances, there is a small amount of fluid in the human abdominal cavity (generally less than 200 ml), which serves to lubricate intestinal peristalsis. Any pathological condition that causes the amount of fluid in the abdominal cavity to increase by more than 200 ml is called ascites.

Ascites is only a symptom and a manifestation of many diseases. It is usually divided into two categories according to its shape and characteristics: leaking and exudative. Pancreatic cancer ascites belongs to exudative ascites. Clinically, it can manifest as low fever, night sweats, poor appetite, weight loss, abdominal pain, diarrhea, etc. A few may have high fever. The stomach wall feels flexible if touched. A few have abdominal lumps, tenderness, and repeated heart palpitations.

When you encounter ascites, you should treat it as soon as possible. Generally, the following measures should be taken:

1. Limit the intake of water and sodium in the diet, and eat high-protein, high-vitamin, low-fat foods;

2. Supplement albumin or accelerate protein synthesis;

3. Use diuretics to accelerate the excretion of water from the kidneys. Generally, you should start with a small dose and gradually increase the dosage;

4. When ascites affects the patient's breathing or the abdominal distension symptoms are unbearable, paracentesis can be used for treatment. However, large amounts of repeated paracentesis can lead to the loss of protein and electrolytes, and increase the chance of ascites infection, so it should be avoided.

What to do with pancreatic cancer ascites

Pancreatic cancer ascites must be treated after all, and the most commonly used method is CyberKnife precision radiotherapy. CyberKnife treatment of pancreatic cancer is not as direct and rapid as surgery, but it is more effective than drug treatment. CyberKnife uses radiation therapy to treat pancreatic cancer. The treatment is painless, does not require surgery, and does not bleed. Moreover, it can treat multiple non-adjacent tumors at once, reducing the number of treatments. Most importantly, CyberKnife treatment positioning is extremely accurate, with few postoperative complications and easy recovery.