Hello,
everyone. I am Dr. Li Huifeng from the Department of Internal Medicine of the Third People’s Hospital of Jiujiang City. Today, I will give you a popular science about pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer, known as the “king of cancers”, is a very aggressive and poor prognosis malignant tumor, which seriously threatens human health. Knowledge of pancreatic cancer is essential for early detection and treatment. The early symptoms of pancreatic cancer are often atypical and easily overlooked. One of the most common initial symptoms is abdominal pain, usually in the upper abdomen, which can be persistent or intermittent, and some patients describe it as dull, dull or distending pain. This pain may radiate to the waist and back, which is aggravated when lying on the back, and can be slightly relieved when bending or lying on the side. Jaundice is also an important manifestation of pancreatic cancer, especially pancreatic head cancer, when the tumor oppresses the common bile duct, it will lead to obstruction of bile discharge, thus causing jaundice. The patient’s skin and sclera will gradually turn yellow, accompanied by itching of the skin. In addition, patients may experience weight loss, which is very common in patients with pancreatic cancer. Because of the impaired function of the pancreas, the secretion of digestive juice decreases, which affects the digestion and absorption of food, coupled with the consumption of the tumor itself, patients will lose weight significantly in a short time. Loss of appetite is also a common symptom, with patients lacking interest in food and eating less. Some patients may also have nausea, vomiting and other gastrointestinal symptoms, because the tumor oppresses or invades the gastrointestinal tract, affecting the normal gastrointestinal peristalsis. The etiology of pancreatic cancer is not very clear, but many factors are related to its morbidity. Smoking is one of the important risk factors for pancreatic cancer. Carcinogens in tobacco can affect pancreatic cells through a variety of ways and increase the risk of cancer. Long-term heavy drinking can also have adverse effects on the pancreas. Alcohol can stimulate pancreatic secretion, cause inflammation and damage of pancreatic tissue, and long-term repeated damage may induce cancer. High fat and high protein diet may increase the burden of the pancreas, change the internal environment of the pancreas, and also have a certain relationship with the occurrence of pancreatic cancer. In addition, diabetic patients have a relatively high risk of pancreatic cancer, and long-term hyperglycemia may affect the metabolism and function of pancreatic cells. Some genetic factors also play a role in the morbidity of pancreatic cancer, such as some hereditary pancreatitis and familial pancreatic cancer syndrome, whose family members are significantly more likely to suffer from pancreatic cancer than general population. In addition, long-term exposure to certain chemicals, such as naphthylamine and benzidine, may cause damage to pancreatic cells and increase the possibility of morbidity. Because the early symptoms of pancreatic cancer are hidden, the diagnosis is difficult. When the patient has the above suspicious symptoms, the doctor will first perform a physical examination, including abdominal palpation. Blood examination is one of the important diagnostic methods, such as the detection of tumor marker carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9). Although it is not a specific indicator of pancreatic cancer, its level will be significantly increased in most patients with pancreatic cancer, which can be used as a reference for auxiliary diagnosis and disease monitoring. Imaging examination plays a key role in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Abdominal ultrasound can initially observe the shape and size of the pancreas, but it may have some limitations for smaller tumors. Enhanced CT scan can more clearly show the size, location, and the relationship with the surrounding blood vessels of pancreatic tumors, which is of great significance for judging whether the tumors can be resected. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) are also valuable in the diagnosis of pancreatic lesions, especially in showing the pancreatic bile duct. Endoscopic ultrasonography can be used to observe the pancreas at close range, and puncture biopsy of suspicious lesions can be performed under ultrasound guidance to obtain pathological diagnosis. The treatment of pancreatic cancer is mainly surgical resection, but because pancreatic cancer is found in the middle and late stages, the rate of surgical resection is low. For resectable pancreatic cancer, surgical methods include pancreaticoduodenectomy, which removes the diseased pancreatic tissue and the surrounding invaded tissues and organs. For patients who can not be resected, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy and other comprehensive treatment methods can be used. Chemotherapy drugs can inhibit the growth and spread of cancer cells, commonly used drugs such as gemcitabine. Radiotherapy can be used to control tumors locally and relieve pain and other symptoms. In recent years, targeted therapeutic drugs have also emerged in the treatment of pancreatic cancer, bringing new hope to some patients. In a word, pancreatic cancer is a disease that seriously endangers life and health. We need to be vigilant, pay attention to the abnormal signals of the body, and maintain a healthy lifestyle to actively prevent the occurrence of pancreatic cancer. If you are unfortunately ill, you should actively cooperate with the doctor’s treatment and strive for better therapeutic effect.
