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Belgian singer Arno died at the age of 72 from pancreatic cancer on Saturday April 23. After more than two years of fighting the disease, he stopped his treatment at the start of 2022. Focus on the third deadliest form of cancer in France.
According to’National Cancer Institute, pancreatic cancer was the 9th most common cancer in men and the 7th most common cancer in women in 2018, and in France. In recent years, its prevalence (number of cases of a disease in a population at a given time, including both new and old cases) has continued to increase. But what is pancreatic cancer? What are the risk factors? How to recognize it?
Pancreatic cancer: 11,000 deaths per year
According to Public health Francethe number of deaths linked to pancreatic cancer amounted to more than 11,456 for the year 2018. Within the European Union, its mortality rate increased by 5% between 1990 and 2016.
Pancreatic cancer is a disease that develops on the cells of the pancreas. It starts from an initially healthy cell which transforms and multiplies in an anarchic way, until forming a mass called malignant tumor (or cancer).
But what is the pancreas for? This organ connected to the digestive system is composed of three parts: the head, the body and the tail. It has two main functions: to produce gastric juices to aid digestion and to regulate blood sugar levels in the body.
When cancer grows on the pancreas, the cells are first limited to the wall of the pancreatic ducts. If no treatment is done, and over time, cancer cells multiply rapidly. They will form a tumor that will invade nearby channels and blood vessels, and disrupt the proper functioning of the pancreas.
Cancer cells can break away from the pancreas and invade other organs, such as the lymph nodes, liver or peritoneum.
Today, existing treatments for the disease are the same as for other forms of cancer. “Surgery and conventional chemotherapy, sometimes combined with radiotherapy, are the main treatments for pancreatic cancer. These treatments can be used alone or combined with each other”, according to’National Cancer Institute.
Risk factors
Several risk factors for pancreatic cancer have been singled out by theNational Cancer Institute. Certain lifestyle habits, such as tobacco and alcohol consumption, increase the risk of developing pancreatic cancer. An unhealthy and unbalanced diet – too fatty, too sweet, too salty – can also play a role in the development of the disease.
This risk is also increased in people with obesity, people with diabetes or certain forms of chronic pancreatitis.
A family history of pancreatic cancer is also a risk factor. “In some cases, a genetic variation inherited from a parent and present from birth in all the cells of the body, can play a role in the occurrence of cancer. If the doctors who follow you suspect a genetic predisposition to pancreatic cancer, they will refer you to an oncogeneticist who will proceed, using a simple blood sample, to a constitutional analysis of your genes”according to’National Cancer Institute.
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Symptoms of pancreatic cancer
Unfortunately, the symptoms of pancreatic cancer often appear late, especially when the tumor has invaded other parts of the body. Its symptoms are not specific to this disease and may have other causes, hence the often late diagnosis.
The most common symptoms are:
- weight loss;
- loss of appetite;
- digestive disorders;
- bloating;
- unexplained fatigue;
- generalized weakness;
- fever ;
- dark urine;
- abdominal and/or back pain;
- yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes.
Several avenues of research are currently being explored to improve this screening. The latest mentions stool screening (as for colorectal cancer): researchers have highlighted alterations in the composition of the faecal microbiota, associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer, which could ultimately allow early diagnosis of this serious disease. More information on ” Pancreatic cancer: towards early detection through stool analysis?”