Early signs of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is more common in middle-aged and elderly people over 40 years old, and the incidence in men is 1.5 to 2 times that in women. The disease has an insidious onset and resembles "stomach disease" in the early stage, which is easy to be misdiagnosed. It requires careful self-diagnosis.

The pancreas has both endocrine and exocrine functions, is very small, is located deep in the anatomy, and is close to organs such as the stomach, duodenum, and common bile duct, so clinical symptoms of pancreatic cancer appear relatively late. Early manifestations are mainly digestive tract symptoms, such as repeated upper abdominal discomfort, fullness, pain, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation, which can easily be mistaken for "stomach problems" and neglected.

When pancreatic cancer grows larger, if it invades the celiac plexus, it can cause severe abdominal pain, which worsens when lying on your back or sleeping and radiates to the back. If the cancer compresses the common bile duct, jaundice may persist and worsen, accompanied by skin itching. If the cancer invades the gastrointestinal tract, it will cause vomiting of blood and black stools.

Pancreatic cancer is difficult to diagnose in its early stages. When typical symptoms appear, the cancer has often developed to an advanced stage. Therefore, middle-aged and elderly people, especially men, should promptly check their pancreas if they find themselves experiencing repeated upper abdominal discomfort, bloating, nausea, and vomiting, if treatment for stomach problems is ineffective, or if abdominal pain radiates to the back.