Pancreatic+Cancer+Diagnosis+and+Treatment

Diagnosis of Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis of Pancreatic cancer is done in stages. Symptoms such as jaundice, weight loss, digestive problems, blood clots and irregular blood-sugar levels get doctors to investigate the source of the problem. CT scans are used like highly detailed x-rays to find tumors or abnormalities. PET scans can be used to detect areas of high energy activity which typically suggests cancerous activity. Biopsies are used when tumors have been found to determine malignancy. Once pancreatic cancer has been determined, it gets diagnosed in different stages dependent upon tumor size and location of malignant activity. There are also sub categories of stages to specify the details of the findings. Stage I is tumor activity in the pancreas and no where else. Stage II is tumor activity in the pancreas and in nearby lymph nodes. Stage III is tumor activity in the pancreas with activity in nearby lymph nodes and blood vessels. Stage IV is tumor activity in the pancreas and activity in distant locations in the body (ACS, 2013).

Treatment

Treatment options for pancreatic cancer are surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and ablative techniques. Surgery is used if the tumor is only in the pancreas or to relieve symptoms of oppressive tumors. Radiation is a commonly used technique to kill tumors, but can have harsh side effects. Chemotherapy and target therapy drugs are commonly used but can also come with harsh side effects. Ablative techniques are used to either heat kill of freeze tumor cells (ACS, 2013). Pancreatic cancer is known for being highly active and often isn't diagnosed until it is in later stages. Prognosis is typically a year or less. There is a very low rate of 5 year survival. The statistics usually hover around 5-6% chance of having a 5 year survival (Biankin et al. 2012).

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